A Fairy Tail Collection
by Silver Hyacinth
Summary: A collection of one-shots and stories centering around different prompts, themes, ideas, and lots and lots and lots of pairings. Chapter 13: Skype chats between the Fairy Tail Mages.
1. Story 1: Skype Chats (1)

**Type:** Modern RL AU

 **Theme:** Skype chats between the Sabertooth Mages.

 **Pairings:** Stingue, Ray, Mikagura, Nalu, slight Jerza.

* * *

 _LuxMaster signing onto group 'Sabertooth Tigers'._

 **LuxMaster:** Hey guys

 **InTheShadows19:** Hey Sting

 **MissM:** Hey

 **MemoryMan3:** Sup

 **LuxMaster:** Did you guys hear about what happened at FTA yesterday? Natsu texted me a pic

 **InTheShadows19:** Yeah, Gajeel did the same

 **MemoryMan3:** Same with Gray

 **MissM:** Am I the only one who doesn't have a Fairy informant?!

 **LuxMaster:** Yes

 **InTheShadows19:** Yes

 **MemoryMan3:** Yes

 **MissM:** Why me? X(

 **LuxMaster:** Natsu is my cousin

 **MemoryMan3:** I'm dating Gray

 **InTheShadows19:** And Gajeel is my cousin

 **MissM:** Damn. I have to pick up a Fairy somehow. Hey, is that Lucy chick single?

 **LuxMaster:** No

 **InTheShadows19:** She's dating Natsu

 **MissM:** What about Erza?

 **LuxMaster** : Actually... I think she's single

 **InTheShadows19:** But she's insane. Have fun with that, Minerva. Also, I think she has a crush on Jellal

 **MissM:** Bummer. What about Kagura?

 **LuxMaster:** From MHHS?

 **MissM:** Yeah

 **InTheShadows19:** I think she's single. And I bet she would go for you

 **MissM:** Cool. I'm gonna go PM her. Wish me luck!

 **LuxMaster:** Good luck

 **MemoryMan3:** Don't be too bold

 _MissM signing off..._

 **MemoryMan3:** I should go, too. Gray's coming over

 **LuxMaster:** Ooh, date night? ;)

 **MemoryMan3:** Yep

 **InTheShadows19:** Have fun

 **MemoryMan3:** You know I will. See you guys tomorrow

 **LuxMaster:** See ya

 _MemoryMan3 signing off..._

 **LuxMaster:** We should have a date night

 **InTheShadows19:** I can arrange something for this weekend

 **LuxMaster:** No. Come over

 **InTheShadows19:** Right now?

 **LuxMaster:** Get your handsome ass over here

 **InTheShadows19:** Aye, sir

 _LuxMaster signing off..._

 _InTheShadows19 signing off..._

 **BlackLightningStrikes:** Man-whores...

* * *

 **In case the usernames weren't clear enough, here they are;**

LuxMaster = Sting

InTheShadows19 = Rogue

MemoryMan3 = Rufus

MissM = Minerva

BlackLightningStrikes = Orga


	2. Story 2: Kissing Advice

*** This is the next Fairy Tail one-shot. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Type:** Regular FT World

 **Theme:** Romeo tries asking Natsu for kissing advice, and ends up getting a lot more than he bargained for from Gray.

 **Pairings:** Rowen, Gruvia, Nalu

* * *

 **A Kiss Like No Other**

Romeo sat at the bar dejectedly, his cheek resting in his palm and his eyes downcast. He needed some advice, but who to ask... He couldn't ask his dad, obviously. Him and Wakaba would just make fun of Romeo for having a crush or worse, give him 'the talk' again. Romeo shuddered. Yeah, his dad was definitely out. And so were Carla and Wendy, because, well, Wendy was the one he needed advice _about_.

He could ask Mira or Lisanna, but he didn't really know Lisanna that well and Mira could be scary with love advice... There was always Gray or Juvia, but Gray was as cold as ice, and Juvia... He shuddered. He couldn't exactly say that he wanted to approach Wendy the way Juvia approached Gray. He was way too shy for that. And Gajeel and Laxus were out because they were, well, Gajeel and Laxus.

So that left Lucy and Natsu... Lucy, well, she was very nice and Wendy liked her a lot, but Lucy was currently out on a job with Levy and Erza, so Natsu was the only person Romeo could ask. So Romeo hauled himself out of his chair and approached Natsu, who was sitting at a table with Gray and Juvia, warily. He wasn't really sure how to approach the Dragon Slayer about this kind of thing, but Romeo figured it was just like ripping off a band-aid. He just had to do it quick and get it over with. Right...?

"Natsu?" Romeo muttered quietly, causing the pink-haired boy and his friends to turn curiously. "Oh, 'sup Romeo."

"H-hey, I was wo-wondering i-if you could g-give me s-some advice." Romeo twiddled his thumbs, a faint blush rising on his cheeks as he faced the Dragon Slayer. Gray took notice of this and raised a slender black eyebrow, grinning while Natsu just looked confused. Gray stood and nudged Romeo, wiggling his eyebrows, making Juvia swoon. "Is this about a girl, eh?

Romeo blushed redder, answering Gray's question. The ice mage laughed and herded Romeo over to the bench to sit down next to him. Romeo wasn't sure how to go about asking for this _particular_ kind of advice. Natsu seemed lost, and Gray wasn't nearly as cold as Romeo had thought, which he supposed was a good thing. Juvia was just looking at Gray's shirtless chest, taking no notice of Natsu or Romeo. If Gray could give him advice and Natsu couldn't, well, Romeo would take whatever he could get.

"I n-ne-need advice about... k-ki-ki..." He couldn't make himself say it, but unfortunately, Gray seemed to know exactly what he was talking about, considering he grabbed Natsu and Romeo by their vests and dragged them forwards into a conspiratorial huddle, covering his bare chest much to the disappointment of Juvia. Gray's eyes gleamed and he smiled wickedly as he leaned forward to whisper to them. With every word Romeo's and Natsu's eyes grew wider and wider, their innocence draining away by the second. When Gray was finished, he sat back with a satisfied smirk, leaving Romeo and Natsu shell-shocked and Juvia gaping, her nose bleeding, at the things that had been said. "So _that's_ what that thing Lucy does is called," Natsu muttered, making Gray wrinkle his nose in repulsion and Juvia's face light up at the confirmation that her Love Rival wasn't a threat anymore.

Meanwhile, Romeo's face was as red as Erza's hair. "I... I d-d-don't know what to s-s-say..."

Gray crossed his arms and nodded appreciatively. "Well, I would've thought with your dad you would know about all this already." Juvia, who had only heard half the things Gray said, looked at him suspiciously. "You didn't tell them anything about Juvia and Gray-sama's private life, did you?" Gray waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Don't worry about it, babe."

Juvia shot Gray a look, but when he gave her a cocky grin and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, she melted into his embrace and sighed happily. Meanwhile, Romeo had _a lot_ to think about, so he wandered over to sit at a table by himself, overheated from the images Gray had painted in his young impressionable mind. When a tiny hand set itself on his shoulder, he jumped and turned with hollow eyes to see Wendy's serene angelic face peering at him with a concerned expression.

His face heated up as her face leaked its way into his mind and he struggled to say, "H-he-hello We-Wendy."

"Are you okay?" she asked him, sitting down next to him. Now, thanks to Gray, Romeo was very aware of her knee brushing against his. His face would never revert to its normal color as he answered shakily, "O-o-of c-c-course."

Wendy didn't look like she believed him, but he took a deep breath and remembered the advice his dad had given him last month about how to ask out a girl. He cleared his throat and turned to her, trying not to lose himself in her eyes. "So, Wendy," he said slowly, managing not to stutter. "I was wondering if you... wanted to maybe gogeticecreamwithme?" He said it all in one breath and braced himself, waiting for her response. Her face flushed pink and Romeo caught her casting a discreet glance behind his shoulder to where Lucy sat with Levy before turning back to him. She cleared her throat as well before saying shyly, "S-sure, Romeo. I would love to get ice cream with you."

Romeo had to stop himself from saying 'Really?' and instead smiled at her, standing. "Well then, let's go get some now." He offered her a hand and as the two walked out of the guild, Lucy and Gray discreetly snuck away from their friends or significant others and followed the young couple into downtown Magnolia to a cute little ice cream shop called 'The Magic Scoop'.

The blonde and the ice mage didn't run into each other, but they both parked at opposite windows to watch the young wizards order two mint ice cream cones and sit down at a metal table in the corner. Lucy and Gray couldn't hear what was being said, but the Sky Dragon Slayer laughed after Romeo said something, and the two smiled, enjoying their ice cream cones. Lucy was nodding encouragement to the young Dragon Slayer even though Wendy couldn't see her, and Gray was pumping a fist in anticipation, waiting for Romeo to make a move.

When the couple was reaching the ends of their cones, Wendy finished hers cleanly, but Romeo had a smudge of mint on his chin. Lucy was squealing quietly and biting her nails as Wendy licked a finger and wiped it off his check, both of the thirteen-year-old's with red tints to their cheeks. Gray was on the tips of his toes, watching in anticipation as first Romeo than Wendy leaned in. Meanwhile, on the other side of the cafe, Lucy was nodding ferociously as Wendy sealed the kiss, the two closing their eyes. Lucy and Gray both shouted "Yes!", drawing a few strange looks from passersby.

The blonde Celestial mage was congratulating herself on the kissing advice she'd given to Wendy, and Gray was also patting himself on the back at the advice he had given Romeo. Little did the two know, the two young mages had completely ignored the advice they'd been given. But they didn't have the hearts to tell Lucy and Gray that as they walked out of the shop hand in hand.

Let's just say that Gray and Lucy were rather smug for the rest of that week.


	3. Story 3: Erza's Daily Workout

*** This is a short-story idea from Martyn, who suggested the theme. Enjoy guys :) Also, how I think Erza stays so fit since she eats so much cake...

* * *

 **Type:** Regular FT World

 **Theme:** Natsu has been eating a lot recently and has gotten pretty fat, so Erza decides to whip him back into shape: literally.

 **Pairings:** Nalu and Jerza

* * *

 **Erza's Daily Workout**

Natsu sat at a table in the shadowy corner of the Fairy Tail guild hall, groaning and looking miserable. He had just finished eating a whole chicken and he wasn't feeling very well. Not to mention that Lucy had gone out on a mission with Gray. Freaking _Gray_. Natsu felt pissed, betrayed, but most of all pissed. Lucy was _his_ partner, and nobody else's: _especially_ not Ice Princess. Natsu moaned as he tried to stand, barely managing to get halfway up before falling back into his seat dejectedly.

He had been eating quite a lot since the Grand Magic Games, and usually his body heat burned away all his extra fat, but for some reason it hadn't this time. So Natsu was a _tiny_ bit overweight: he could probably still beat Gajeel in a fight. Not that he'd tried lately... But still! He was totally sure that he could still fight just fine... probably.

A sudden shadow looming over him caused Natsu to stiffen as he looked up to see an angry Erza glaring down at him. The Dragon Slayer gulped, sweating profusely as the red-head slammed her fist down hard on the table.

"Natsu," Erza said darkly, an evil aura surrounding her, summoning her sword. "It's time for you to..." Natsu squeezed his eyes shut, preparing to be cut in half for whatever he had done to offend Erza. "Get into shape!" Erza finished cheerfully, tugging Natsu up by his scarf. The Dragon Slayer blinked once, twice.

"Huh?"

"Come now," Erza said as she dragged him out of the guild and towards the closest forest. "You have been gaining weight and it is not healthy! And besides," she winked at him, "you must stay fit and healthy for Lucy!"

Natsu could only stutter in embarrassment and fear as the red-head dragged him through the trees. Before long they stopped in front of a large and very deep lake, and Erza turned to Natsu with stars in her eyes. "I will have you fit and back to your old self by the end of today with my daily workout!" she exclaimed, reequipping into her Legendary Swimsuit and forcing Natsu to strip down to his boxers. "And the first step is a long and relaxing swim!"

Natsu was shaking in fear as Erza dragged him into the water, because by the red-head's terms, 'long and relaxing' meant 'extremely scary and difficult'. So he wasn't surprised when she dove into the water and began swimming laps, quicker than the eye could see, while dragging Natsu along behind her. When they had crossed the lake about a hundred times, Erza dragged a half-unconscious and slightly thinner Natsu out of the water, looking smug. She reequipped into her running clothes and started jogging in place as she watched the exhausted Natsu slowly dress himself.

"Alright!" she said as Natsu shambled over to stand beside her, panting. "The next step is a 5000 meter run in harsh conditions!" Natsu was shaking like a leaf as Erza ordered him to run. Unfortunately, she deemed his pace 'unworthy' and reequipped into her Heaven's Wheel armor and began throwing swords at him from above in order to 'motivate' him into running faster. When Natsu finally crested the mountain and finished his run, he was panting and sweating, whining and begging for a break. Erza, however, had different things in mind, and she drug the even thinner-looking Natsu towards the railroad tracks.

"Er-Er-Erza?" Natsu whimpered as they approached the tracks. The sound of a whistle piercing the warm afternoon air sent shivers of fear up the Dragon Slayer's spine. "What are we doing here?"

Erza, eyes shining maliciously, drug Natsu over to stand in the middle of the tracks beside her. "It's simple!" she announced, excited. "The train is approaching, and we must run faster than it to avoid dying! It is the best kind of motivational tool there is!" Natsu gulped as he glanced behind his shoulder to see the train's bright headlight approaching.

"I-I-I'm n-not so s-s-sure about this, E-Er-Erza," he stuttered, but Erza wasn't listening. She reequipped into her running clothes once again and took her mark, like she was about to race in the Olympics. Natsu gulped again and took his place beside her reluctantly. He waited and waited for her to move as the train got closer and closer, but only when it was almost upon them did Erza scream, "BEGIN!", and race away. Natsu struggled to keep up, but when he would slow down the train would blare its horn or get too close and he would screech in fear and lay on a sudden burst of speed.

It was hell, and when Erza finally tore to the side, Natsu jumped off the tracks and fell face-first into the grass. The train flew past in a blur of silver and noise and was gone. Erza was very proud of herself. Natsu looked almost like his old self, which was good, because she only had one more exercise in her workout, and she knew it would have him more fit than he had been before the Games.

"Come on, Natsu! Get up. We only have one more thing to do!" Natsu groaned but pulled himself to his feet, looking sick as he swayed slightly from side to side. Hearing her say the words 'one more' gave him a sudden burst of energy and he was able to walk next to Erza this time instead of being dragged as she led him away from the tracks and through downtown Magnolia. As they approached a cafe, Natsu grew more and more suspicious. When Erza turned and entered the cafe, Natsu had no idea what to expect.

When Erza purchased a slice of strawberry cake, Natsu was beginning to think that she was messing with him. But then the red-head turned to him, her eyes sad and very serious. "Natsu," she said quietly. "Know that this is the hardest thing I've ever done, but I'm doing it for you. Now," she took a deep breath, as if readying herself for something. "Destroy the cake."

Natsu gave her a confused look, but being himself, he didn't understand what was about to happen and simply swatted the cake onto the floor, where its icing splattered against the floor with a sickening squish. Slowly Erza was surrounded by a demonic aura, and when she summoned her sword and turned her murderous gaze to Natsu, the Dragon Slayer screamed like a little girl and ran out of the shop, Erza chasing him and screaming, "MY CAKE!" while the citizens of Magnolia looked on with confused eyes.

* * *

 **Meanwhile, outside a flower shop nearby...**

* * *

"Do you hear that?" Gray asked Lucy, who cocked her head to the side to listen along with him.

"It sounds like screaming," she commented, frowning.

The Ice-make mage and Celestial Spirit wizard were just entering downtown Magnolia, after completing their job successfully. They had taken out a monster plaguing a nearby village and were rewarded with a substantial reward for their trouble. They had been walking down the street when Gray stopped, thinking he heard girly screaming coming closer from farther down the street. Lucy was just about to dismiss it as their imagination when they saw a screaming and shirtless Natsu being chased, screaming, down the street by a furious Erza.

"Hey, Natsu's not fat anymore!"

"That's the only thing you have to say?"

Gray shrugged as Natsu came closer, squealing as he dodged another one of Erza's many attacks. Natsu caught sight of the two fellow Fairy Tail mages and barreled over, grabbing Gray and attempting to use him as a human shield. Gray, of course, would take none of it and punched the Fire Dragon Slayer hard in the stomach, issuing a brawl between the two, which Lucy watched with an annoyed expression on her face. Erza had stopped chasing Natsu to take deep, calming breaths. She turned to Lucy and greeted the blonde girl, her sword disappearing as she seemed to collect herself.

"So... how did Natsu get back into shape?" Lucy asked as she and the red-head watched the boys destroy a flower shop. "I taught him my daily workout," Erza said proudly, crossing her arms as the now muscular and shirtless Natsu threw fireballs at an equally shirtless Gray. Lucy, meanwhile, paled at the thought of _Erza's_ daily workout. She decided that if Natsu crept into her bed later that night, she wouldn't kick him out. The blonde could only imagine what hell he had endured by the hand of Erza while she was gone. Well that, and the fact that his restored and better-than-ever muscles weren't exactly a bad selling-point, either.


	4. Story 4: Nashi is Sick

*** Here's another Fairy Tail mini, so enjoy guys!

* * *

 **Type:** FT: NG 'verse.

 **Theme:** Nashi gets sick, and since her Mom and Dad are on a job, and her siblings are staying with the Redfoxs, Ur decides to take care of her.

 **Pairing:** Urshi

* * *

 **Sickness Doesn't Dull Fire**

The guild was strangely quiet when Ur walked in with sister Mika, and he found it suspicious. Usually Nashi would attack him as soon as he walked in the door, but she wasn't anywhere to be seen. Ur walked over to where his friend Igneel sat, glaring about suspiciously for his pink-haired attacker all the while.

"Where's Nashi?" Ur asked cautiously, sitting down next to Igneel reluctantly. His friend turned and raised an eyebrow, sucking down a chocolate milkshake. "You don't know? She's sick."

" _Sick..._?" The word was foreign to Ur who, at ten, had been immune to the cold since before he could remember, and had certainly never had a cold. "Since when?"

"Yesterday," Igneel answered, finishing his shake.

"Didn't your parents leave on a job _two days_ ago?"

"Yeah. So?"

"So shouldn't you be, I don't know, _taking care of her_?"

"Psht. Don't be ridiculous. She can take care of herself."

"Yeah," Ur muttered. "I guess." But he wasn't really convinced. If _Ur_ was sick, he would want his family to take care of him. Not that he'd ever admit that out loud... but it was still true. And he could only imagine Nashi all alone, sick, in her quiet, empty house. It gave him a strange feeling: a tingling in his stomach that he couldn't explain, which left him feeling all... _fuzzy_. Ur shook it off and stood, giving no answer when Igneel asked him where he was going.

Ur walked out of the guild and towards the Dragneel house, not entirely sure what he was doing. He stopped at a shop on the way and bought some vegetables and meat, running on some inner instinct he hadn't been aware of before. When he walked in the door of the Dragneel's little cottage, he was greeted by the smell of burning wood, and he cautiously followed the smell to the kitchen. When he first saw the room, Ur dropped his bags in surprise. The wooden floor was charred and black, and smelled of burning firewood. But then he saw Nashi passed out on the floor, her cheeks rosy red and her breathing shallow.

He stumbled over and leaned down to pick her up, but cried out and shrank back when he felt the heat leaking off of her like she was a living fire. Ur couldn't think of what to do. Should he get Igneel? Or his dad? All he could think to do was create ice to rub against her skin in hopes of cooling her down. They didn't do much, so Ur eventually gave up and went to grab a blanket from Nashi's room to use a cover. He scooped her up carefully and ran to her room, setting her down carefully on her pink bed.

"Now what...?" Ur muttered as he stared down at the red-faced, unconscious body of ten-year-old Nashi. First he covered her with a blanket. He remembered his mom telling him once that when someone is sick, even if they have a fever and are hot, they need lots of blankets. Then he went back into the kitchen to get his bags, which he set on the counter. He wanted to make soup, but Ur wasn't entirely sure how to do that. First things first, he figured he needed a pot, so he dug around until he found one, and set it on the stove.

"Alright," he murmured. "So far, so good. Now... water?" Ur turned on the stove and put some water in the pot, which immediately began to bubble. Next, he cut up the meat and vegetables and threw them in with some spices, purely running on instinct. A good smell began to seep into the kitchen and through the house, so Ur figured he was doing _something_ right.

When Ur was about to pour the soup into a bowl for Nashi, there was a loud ACHOO! and smoke billowed from underneath Nashi's bedroom door. Ur pinched the bridge of his nose and set the pot back down, the soup still inside. He headed over to Nashi's room, pausing a moment to ready himself before entering. Nashi was wiping her nose, her eyes half closed and the blanket slightly blackened.

"Um, Nashi?"

"Ur!" Her eyes flew to him and she looked like she wanted to jump up and kick him, but another sneeze had her sniffling and crying. Ur fidgeted uncomfortably, and eventually walked over and awkwardly patted her shoulder. "It's, um, okay..." he said nervously. Nashi sniffled again. "I'm miserable," she croaked. "I've never felt so bad in my entire life."

"Um, well, I made you soup..." _Smooth,_ Ur could practically hear his dad saying. _Very smooth, Ur._

"D-Did you r-really?" Nashi asked, wiping her nose and sniffling again. Ur nodded and looked away, embarrassed. "I'll go get it."

Ur walked back into the kitchen, poured the soup into a bowl, grabbed a piece of bread and a glass of water, and put it all on a tray to take back to Nashi. Her eyes lit up when she saw it, and Ur blushed as he set down the tray on her lap. She wiggled her way to a sitting position and quickly scarfed down the food, sighing happily. When she finished, Ur took the tray back to the kitchen and stuck it in the sink. For a second he just stood out there, hands in his pockets, unsure of what to do. At least, until Nashi called for him.

He walked into her room and gave her a expectant look. "What?" He noticed with a tiny twinge of fear that she was blushing and wouldn't meet his eyes. "Um," she mumbled. "Would you mind... staying a while?" Ur blinked. Blinked again. "U-uh, s-sure."

Nashi seemed to relax at that, and she closed her eyes. Ur stood there for a second, raising an eyebrow. Nashi opened one eye; closed it again. She turned her back to him and scooted to the far side of the bed. "You can... lay down, if you want."

"Um, okay." Ur cautiously lay down on the bed and turned with his back to Nashi. Soon, he heard her calm, even breaths, and he found himself drifting off to sleep.

* * *

 **A few hours later...**

* * *

"LET ME AT 'IM!" Lucy struggled to hold her husband back as the Fire Dragon Slayer tried to burst into Nashi's room and strangle the sleeping Ur. "Calm down, Natsu!" she hissed, clamping a hand over his mouth. "It's cute!"

"IT IS NOT! THAT MONSTER IS SLEEPING WITH MY DAUGHTER!"

"They're not doing anything! She's ten years old, Natsu."

"SO?!"

Lucy sighed and silently closed Nashi's door, smiling at the two kids sleeping side by side. She dragged Natsu over to the couch and forced him to sit, resorting to holding on to the ends of his scarf to keep him in her sight. Natsu couldn't sit still, and eventually Lucy sighed and tugged him up the stairs to their bedroom, where she proceeded to keep his mind off of Ur for the rest of the night.

* * *

 **The next morning, at the Fairy Tail guild...**

* * *

Ur sat with his head on the table, feeling miserable. His dad was fighting with Nashi's dad, and his mom was reading at a table with Aunt Lucy and Aunt Levy. Ur's dad eventually wandered over, his shirt missing and looking annoyed. "What's with you, Ur? You look half dead."

"I am half dead," Ur responded, groaning and covering his face with his arms. "I think Nashi gave me her-" A sneeze interrupted his sentence, and Ur was blowing halfway across the room into a table, snow drifting from the ceiling to cover the floor in white sheets. Ur's dad raised an eyebrow. "Ur, are you... sick?"

"No!" Another sneeze which sent out a gust of wind strong enough to knock over Uncle Elfman seemed to disagree with Ur, and Ur's dad rolled his eyes and scooped up his son. "C'mon, Ur. I'm taking you home to rest."

"But Daaaaaaaddddd," Ur complained, sneezing again and leaving an icicle hanging from the rafters. "I'm not - _ACHOO!_ \- sick!"

"No buts. You're going to bed and that's final!"

Ur groaned and sneezed again, feeling tears come to his eyes. This was the worst day ever. Ur would never take care of Nashi again!


	5. Story 5: Water Balloon Fight

Hey everyone! I'm back with another cute short story :) Enjoy! (Sorry if it's a bit short :p)

* * *

Type: My Phoenix Heart 'verse

Theme: Phoenix Heart decides to have a water balloon fight, and somehow Fairy Tail gets sucked into it.

Pairings: NaLentine (Natsu x OC Valentine) and slight GrayLu.

* * *

It was a relatively calm day (for once) at the Phoenix Heart guild, and Valentine was sitting at one of the guild's many tables with her friend Amber, reading a book and enjoying the peace and quiet. That is, until her friend Alex fired a ball of water at Val's head. It hit her square on the side of the head, and slowly, Val put her book down and turned to face the Water Dragon Slayer, her eyes pits of anger. Alex screamed as Val began chasing him, firing shots of her magic at him every few steps.

Meanwhile, David was sneaking around handing everyone packs of balloons. When everyone had one, David waited for Val to settle down, which she finally did, grumbling and picked up her book to continue reading. David delivered packs of balloons to Alex and Val, and with a snap of his fingers, they were all filled with water. "WATER BALLOON FIGHT!" he shouted, throwing a balloon full-force into the side of Skyler's head. The red-head slowly picked up a balloon, and with no warning, she screeched and turned, hurling it straight into David's face, knocking him backwards. Now the whole guild was involved, and an annoyed Val tucked her book away somewhere safe to keep it dry and hefted a balloon. She had no choice but to get involved.

Right as Val sent a balloon flying, the doors of Phoenix Heart opened and several members of the Fairy Tail guild walked through the door. "We're here to-" Natsu's voice was cut off as the balloon smacked into his face, bursting and spraying his hair with water. Slowly, Natsu wiped the pieces of rubber off his face and looked towards Val, who still had her arm raised, her mouth open in an _o_. "IT'S ON!" Natsu shouted, grabbing a balloon from a nearby table and throwing it at Valentine, who squealed as it hit her in the chest, splattering her clothes with water.

"STOP AT ONCE!" Everyone stilled, hands still outstretched to throw balloons, as Erza glowered at everyone. Her face suddenly lit up in a wide smile. "You all need swimsuits first!" The reequip Mage waved her hand, and somehow a swimsuit appeared on everyone in the guild. Before everyone could react, Erza nailed Bella between the eyes with a balloon. Total war ensued, and soon the guild formed sides, Natsu, Valentine, Amber, Alex, Brooster, Westen, Wanda, Wendy, and Bella on one side, with Erza, Gray, Lucy, Vince, Willow, David, Kain, Skyler, and Kibou on the other.

"YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT US!" Erza declared, tossing balloon after balloon at Natsu's side. "HA! NO ONE CAN BEAT THE VAL-NATSU COMBO ATTACK! READY: _GOOOOOO_!" Val - who was currently seated on Natsu's shoulders - threw a volley of balloons, which Natsu lit on fire. Nobody understood how the balloons stayed intact before hitting their targets, but they did, and before long, half of Erza's side was lying in a twitching, smoking heap, leaving only Erza, Gray, Lucy, and Vince remaining.

"IS THAT ALL? GRAY, LUCY: COMBO ATTACK!" Gray and Lucy nodded, and the Celestial Spirit Mage summoned Loke, while Gray froze the water in several balloons. "Ready, Gray?"

"Let 'em have it, Lucy!" Gray threw the balloons in the air, and Loke used Regulus Impact to send them flying at full speed. That leveled the playing field, leaving only Valentine, Natsu, Broo, and Bella standing against Erza's side. The eight wizards on their respective sides all hefted balloons, and with a great battle cry, they launched them at each other. Water exploded against bodies, and nobody who passed the Phoenix Heart guild was sure why there was water leaking out of the windows, but they decided to just ignore it.

* * *

 **About twenty minutes later...**

* * *

"If you kids _ever_ have a water balloon fight at the guild again, I will be punishing all of you! Understood?"

"Yes, Master," the Phoenix Heart Mages chimed dejectedly. Wendy was bandaging Natsu's bruised chest, which looked like a dart board. Erza, Gray, Lucy, Bella, Broo, Vince, and Val weren't much better. When everyone's wounds were treated, Wendy sent them all to the Phoenix Heart infirmary to rest up. Natsu ended up sneaking into Val's bed because Erza was right next to him, and he claimed she kept giving him a 'scary Erza' look. Lucy ended up hiding out with Gray for the same reason, and no one at Phoenix Heart or Fairy Tail ever had a water balloon fight again.

Makarov thought it was strange that his children were slightly less rowdy after their visit to Phoenix Heart, but he brushed it off as lack of energy and ignored it.


	6. Story 6: Valentine

*** Hey guys! Here's another cute little story! (This one is with my OC from Pheonix Heart again.) Hope you all like it! (Oh, my God: That letter took me FOREVER! But it was so worth it XD)

* * *

 **Type:** My Phoenix Heart 'verse

 **Theme:** Valentine and the rest of Phoenix Heart are visiting Fairy Tail for the whole month of February, along with Sabertooth, giving Val time to spend with her boyfriend, Natsu, and Amber time to spend with _her_ boyfriend, Sting. However, Valentine is terribly mad at Natsu, but Natsu has _no idea_ what he did wrong. Little does he know he forgot a certain _special_ holiday.

 **Pairings:** NaLentine (Natsu x my OC Valentine), LoLu, JeRza, MirAxus, RoWen, GaLe, AmbSting (Amber (Doggie-chan's OC) x Sting), and _many_ more.

* * *

 **Valentine? Nope.**

* * *

Natsu walked into the Fairy Tail guild early in the morning, feeling very tired. He had barely gotten any sleep the previous night, and was practically dead on his feet. However, considering Val was staying for only a month, Natsu wanted to spend every moment he could with his girlfriend before she went back to Oshibana. Sure, they saw each other every few weeks, but Natsu knew that spending all day, every day with her for a whole twenty-eight days was nothing to take for granted.

Natsu was walking towards the bar to eat breakfast when he began to notice that everyone was acting weird. As he sat down, Natsu noticed several people around the guild acting strange. Juvia was blushing while reading a letter addressed to her from Gray, and Gray was blushing equally as much, snacking on some chocolates - (In the shape of his face. Natsu shuddered.) - given to him by Juvia. Natsu frowned, looking around some more. Loke was handing Lucy a bouquet of two dozen golden roses, and the blonde blushed as she handed him a lacy card with hearts all over it, covered in a long note written in her neat, precise handwriting.

Natsu noticed many more similar scenes: Laxus handing Mira a large box of her favorite chocolates, Erza squealing in delight and tackling Jellal in a bone-crushing hug as he presented her with a large, heart-shaped strawberry cake, Sting presenting a huge bouquet of white roses to a stunned Amber, who blushed and gave him a note and a kiss in return, Wendy blushing while exchanging cards with Romeo, Levy jumping up and down and screeching happily at the book Gajeel gave her while the Iron Dragon Slayer read the note she had written, and other such romantic-like scenes.

Natsu frowned and looked up at the ceiling, noticing for the first time that it was decorated in red and pink streamers, and heart-shaped balloons. He felt his forehead wrinkle as he tried to figure out what was going on. Was there some _event_ or something? Was it an anniversary of some kind? Natsu shook it off. It was probably just some festival or something. Nothing he had to worry about.

"Naaatsssuuu!" a female voice sing-songed, and Natsu grinned, standing up and scooping Val into a tight hug. "Hey," he said, smiling. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," she said, reaching up on her tip-toes to give him a passionate kiss. When they pulled apart, Valentine looked at Natsu expectantly. He just kept smiling at her. "Ready for breakfast?" he asked, sitting back down on his stool. Valentine looked confused, and sat down, raising an eyebrow. "You- You don't... _have_ anything for me?" Val asked, giving him a warm smile. Natsu frowned and shook his head. "Why would I?"

Valentine looked at him blankly. "You mean- You don't _know_ what today is?" Natsu shook his head. "Nope. Why?" Val's eyes slowly narrowed, and she huffed, turning, stalking away, and plunking down hard at a table with Lucy, Amber, and Levy. Natsu blinked, confused, as the girls started whispering, and he caught Lucy, Amber, and Levy all shooting him disgusted looks and patting Val on the back soothingly.

 _What did I do?_ Natsu thought to himself in confusion as Loke walked over, glancing back once at the girls before sitting down next to Natsu. "Um, bro, I don't want to alarm you, but your girl there seems to be _pretty_ pissed."

Natsu threw his hands up in desperation. "I don't know what's going on, Loke! She was totally happy one minute, and then asked me if I _had something_ for her," Natsu said, tugging a hand through his hair in exasperation. "And when I said 'no', she got all _mad_. I don't get it!" Loke had both eyebrows raised, as if he couldn't believe what Natsu was saying, which just confused the sakura-haired boy even more. "You mean, you don't know what today is?"

Natsu shook his head, grunting in annoyance. "No! What the _hell_ is going on?" Slowly, Loke's face broke into a sly grin. "Don't worry, Natsu; you'll figure it out. _Eventually_." The orange-haired Lion Spirit walked off, sitting next to Lucy and kissing her on the cheek, making the blonde smile and lean her head on his shoulder happily. Natsu frowned, still unsure what was going on. Was there some special _event_ today that he was supposed to know about? But, if there was, wouldn't someone have _told_ him about it? Mira always talked about new events before they happened, so why would now be an exception?

Burrowing down into his bar stool, Natsu held a finger to his chin, thinking hard.

"Um, Natsu?"

"Not now, Gray. I'm thinking."

" _That_ must hurt."

Natsu gave the Ice-Make Mage a glare, and rubbed his forehead, his brow furrowed in concentration. "What are you thinking so hard about, anyway?" Gray asked, sitting next to Natsu and resting his arm against the bar. Natsu sighed and growled in frustration. "Val is mad at me for some reason!" Gray raised an eyebrow, and Natsu proceeded to repeat what he had told Loke, and Gray sighed and face-palmed. "Natsu. You are the most idiotic _idiot_ I've ever met."

"You wanna fight, ice princess?" Natsu asked, narrowing his eyes. Gray snorted. "No way. Not today." That just set Natsu off again, and he groaned and smacked his forehead against the bar irritably. "WHAT IS TODAY?!" he yelled at the ceiling hopelessly, while Gray rolled his eyes. "Natsu, I'll tell you what today is on one condition."

Natsu looked up suspiciously. "What ' _one_ _condition'_?"

Gray smirked and crossed his arms. "Admit that I'm stronger than you."

"What?! NEVER!" Natsu yelled, glaring at Gray. Gray shrugged and held up his hands in a helpless 'What can I do?' gesture, and Natsu groaned and let his head fall back to the table as the ice Mage walked off to sit with Juvia. _What can I- No way will I ever say- Why can't he just_ tell _me?!_ Natsu's brain was a whirlwind of thoughts. No _way_ would he _ever_ say that Gray was stronger than him. It wasn't true, and Natsu was no liar. Plus, why couldn't someone just _tell him_? Was it some big secret or something?

Natsu sighed, throwing up his hands in surrender. He gave up. If he couldn't figure it out on his own - which irked him to no end - and if nobody would tell him, there was no way for him to find out what was going on. Glancing around the guild, Natsu noticed Laxus walking towards him. Natsu sighed, getting ready for the barrage of insults Laxus would hurl at him, as usual. But the insults didn't come.

"Natsu, Natsu, Natsu," Laxus said, shaking his head. "Laxus, Laxus, Laxus?" Natsu said cautiously, glancing around nervously. Laxus clapped a heavy hand down on Natsu's shoulder, almost knocking the sakura-haired boy over. "Listen, Natsu, and listen _real_ close. I'm gonna explain somethin' to ya." Natsu raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"February fourteenth is a day that comes every year where you're _gonna_ have to get your girl a present, ya got me?" Natsu nodded weakly, struggling to follow along. "Today is a holiday, as it happens. Saint Valentine's Day."

Natsu, confused, said, "Valentine's? My girlfriend has a holiday?" Laxus rolled his eyes and slapped Natsu hard on the back of the head. "No, numb-skull. _Saint_ Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrating love. It's a day to spend with your one true love, as they say. Ya followin', Salamander?" Natsu nodded weakly. "I- I think so."

"Good, now listen up." Laxus leaned closer and Natsu bowed his head to listen. "If you act now, you still have a chance to save your relationship." Natsu gulped. "What can I do?"

"Ya need to find her a gift, and _quick_. But it's gotta come from the heart, otherwise it'll be useless now." Natsu nodded. "Okay, but what kind of gift?" Laxus shrugged. "How am _I_ supposed to know? She's _your_ girlfriend. Just get somethin' that speaks to both of you, and symbolizes your relationship."

Natsu nodded as Laxus got up and walked off, leaving the Dragon Slayer alone with his thoughts. What could he get Valentine that would symbolize how much he loved her? There were no words to describe how he felt about her. And he couldn't write a letter, because, well, he couldn't write very well, or spell very well, or... _Yeah_ , the letter was out. So that left a gift, but what? Natsu thought back to the gifts he'd seen being given around the guild. Roses, cards, chocolate. He wrinkled his nose. None of those things meant anything to Val.

Natsu thought back to everything he knew about his girlfriend: Her favorite colors were pink and blue, her favorite season was Winter, her favorite food was peaches, and her favorite animal was a cat. He could get her a pink-and-blue cat statue that smelled like peaches? _No_ , he decided, shaking her head. _That's no good._ He frowned, rubbing his temples. Peach-scented perfume? A snow-globe? Ugh, this was hopeless!

Suddenly, Natsu had a burst of inspiration. He'd need some ribbon, some scissors, some tape, and a bow. Not that he had any idea where to get those things, but he figured he had to at least try. Standing up and running out of the guild, Natsu headed towards the nearest store.

* * *

Val sighed as she left the guild, the sunset casting beautiful red-orange rays across Magnolia. She couldn't really say she was mad at her boyfriend anymore: She was really just _sad_ now. How could Natsu not get her anything for Valentine's Day? She fingered the pocket of her jean-shorts, sighing. She'd written him a letter; a _love_ letter. Now Val just felt stupid. But was it really _his_ fault if he didn't know about Valentine's Day?

Sighing, Val took out her hotel room-key and opened the door, kicking it shut behind her. Walking into the room, Valentine dropped her scythe on a nearby chair, kicking off her boots and heading to the bathroom. She splashed water on her face, sighing and locking eyes with herself in the mirror. Yes, she was sad. _Yes_ , it would take a while to forgive him for crushing her heart like that on _literally_ the day of love. And yes, she _would_ forgive him. No matter what he did, Valentine could never stay mad at Natsu long.

Walking out of the bathroom, Valentine took the letter out of her pocket and set it on the nightstand before turning to look at her bed for the first time since entering the room. She jumped, seeing someone sitting on her bed, and stiffened, holding up her fists. But then she recognized the someone, and let her hands drop to her sides, eyeing them in disbelief. _Natsu_ was sitting cross-legged on her bed, wrapped tightly in bright red ribbon. The Christmas-y look was completed with a big red bow, stuck on the top of his head, sticking out of his hair like a red boat in the center of a pink ocean. Valentine held back a laugh, raising an eyebrow. "What's this?"

"Surprise!" Natsu said, grinning. " _I'm_ your present!"

Valentine laughed. "Um, you are?"

"Yep!" Natsu said happily, wiggling under the tightly-wound ribbon. "I'm sorry I took so long to give you your present."

Valentine felt tears sting the corners of her eyes. "Oh, N-Natsu!" She sobbed, throwing herself on him and crushing him in a hug. " _Oof_!" he said, laughing. "I'm glad you like it!"

"I love it," she sobbed, getting his jacket wet with her tears. "I love _you_!"

"I love you, too, and I _would_ hug you back if I wasn't, ya know, _wrapped up_."

Val laughed shakily, wiping away her tears. "Here. I'll help unwrap you." She helped him peel of the many layers of ribbon ( **Why did you have to use so much, Natsu?** _I don't know, Val!_ ), but left the bow on his head, smiling fondly at it. Turning, she grabbed her folded letter from the nightstand and handed it to him, sitting next to him on the bed and fiddling with her silver ring nervously. Natsu raised an eyebrow as he unfolded it, and Val couldn't bring herself to watch his expression while he read it.

* * *

Natsu unfolded the letter she handed him, raising an eyebrow. Looking down, he started to read.

 _Dear Natsu,_

 _I don't really know how to convey my feelings in a letter. I've never done this before... But, I've never been in love before. That's right: you read it right. I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you since we first met. I honestly can't tell you how much you mean to me. When I'm with you, I feel safe, like I'm invincible. You're always there for me, and, even when I'm down, you somehow manage to make me happy again._

 _Whenever I'm away from you, I feel like I'm missing half my heart. Every moment I'm with you, I think,_ How can I be this lucky? To have someone who cares for me, and who I care for, so deeply? _In the Grand Magic Games, when I first revealed my true feelings to you, you felt the same, and I was_ so _happy. And after the whole thing with Zeref and Succubus Eye, I thought I would never smile again, but you proved me wrong. I want to use this letter to tell you what you mean to me, or at least try._

 _You're strong, brave, confident, a good listener, determined, funny, sweet, and_ everything _I could ever ask for. You are_ my _strength,_ my _bravery,_ my _confidence. You lift me up when I'm down, and have helped me in ways you can't even imagine. I was alone before I met you, that day in Magnolia. Remember that? When Gray drug me into the bushes and I tripped and fell on you? I remember that day all the time, whenever I miss you. We've fought together - sometimes against each other, sometimes together. We've laughed together, cried together, and stood strong together. I want to thank you for that._

 _You're my hero, my rock, and my confidant. I've loved having adventures with you, and I want to have millions more, for the rest of my life. There's never a dull moment when I'm around you and the rest of Fairy Tail, and I can't thank you enough for reaching out to me that day. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have all these memories; all these times I can look back on and smile._

 _I, Valentine Blake, love you, Natsu Dragneel. There. I said it. Or, wrote it, I guess. But Natsu, I want to stay with you for the rest of my life. There's no time I'm happier then when I'm with you, like we're the only two people in the world. And I know how cheesy that sounds, but it's true. It's always more fun with you, and I want to keep having adventures, together. So, be my valentine? Will you make more memories with me, go on more adventures?_

 _Think about it._

 _With love, Valentine 3_

Natsu looked up at Valentine, who had her eyes downcast, and was fiddling with that ring on her thumb. "Val, this... This is- I-" He folded the letter and held it to his chest, right above his heart. "This means more to me than you could ever know, Valentine." She looked over at him cautiously. "R-really?" Natsu nodded and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, relishing in the warmth she always brought as she burrowed into the crook of his neck.

"I love you, Val."

"I love you, Natsu."

The couple snuggled together as the sun set over Magnolia, February fourteenth coming to a close with a happy ending, after all.

* * *

 **The End.**


	7. Story 7: A Fairy New Year

*** Another cute short story! This one is with another OC. Sorry, guys. Next one will probably be for Lories week, which starts in two days, so there will be tons of Lories one-shots then.

* * *

 **Type:** My Future Fairies 'verse.

 **Theme:** It's New Years Eve, and Fairy Tail is throwing a huge party to celebrate. Little does everyone know, Mira has a plan to get a certain Dragon Slayer to admit his love to a certain short Assegai-Make Mage.

 **Pairings:** NaChi (Natsu x my OC, Chiasa), Jerza, StingRuna (Sting x Doggie-chan's OC, Haruna), and many more.

* * *

 **A New Year, a New Revelation.**

* * *

"10!" all the Fairy Tail Mages shouted in unison. "9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1! Happy New Year!"

The Fairy Tail guild was throwing a huge New Year's Eve party, with every guild invited. It had started out crazy, and only got crazier after the new year actually _started_. Everyone was drunk, and Cana had started a large game of strip poker in one corner of the guild, while Erza had started a game of Guild Master in another. The only ones still sober were Mira, Natsu, Levy, Laxus, and Haruna. Natsu was currently sitting at a table with Laxus, watching the festivities, bored. Meanwhile, Haruna was trying to get a drunk Chiasa away from the strip poker game, which the girl was making a bee-line for, and Levy was trying to keep a drunk Gajeel from punching an even drunker Loke.

Natsu sighed, and let his head drop to the table, yawning loudly. It was after midnight, and the Dragon Slayer just wanted to go home. "Oh Naaatssssuuu!" a perky female voice sing-songed, and Natsu looked up to find Mira standing in front of him. "I think Chi needs your help."

Natsu glanced behind Mira's shoulder, to where Runa was struggling to get Chi to sit down at a table. The shorter girl was struggling, still trying to get over to where Cana, Gray, Juvia, Elfman, Lisanna, Freed, and Elfman were playing strip poker. Natsu blinked. "Haruna's got in under-"

"Natsu," Mira said, scarily cheerful. "Go. _Now_."

"A-aye." Natsu got up and walked over to Haruna and Chiasa, gulping as he felt Mira's glare drill into his back. "Hey, Chi," he said as he walked up to them. "Are you-"

"Naaaattssssu!" Chi cooed happily, stumbling over her own feet and throwing an arm around his shoulder. Natsu struggled to keep her upright, holding her waist tightly. "Chi, I think you're drunk."

"Drunk?" Chi slurred. "Of course I am!" She hiccuped, giggling happily. "Natsu," she said, suddenly tearing up. "Why have you been ignoring me?"

"W-whaaa?" Natsu sweat-dropped at the sudden change of mood as Chi began sobbing, leaning heavily against him. Haruna sighed as Chi strangled Natsu's middle. "Sorry," she said. "Chi's a bit of a double drunk: emotional _and_ silly."

"I-is that so?" Natsu asked nervously as Chi attempted to climb onto his back.

Runa nodded. "Could you maybe take her home? I haven't gotten to hang out with Sting at all because I've been so worried about her doing something she'll regret tomorrow."

"S-sure. I guess I can..." Natsu said reluctantly. Haruna gave him a grateful smile. "Great. Thanks." She skipped off to dance with her boyfriend Sting, and Natsu hefted Chi onto his back, carrying her out of the guild and down the snowy streets towards her apartment. It was cold, and Natsu raised his scarf higher on his mouth, his breath frosting out in big white clouds.

"Geez," he mumbled. "Why did she have to go and get so drunk?"

Suddenly, Natsu was aware of the small girl on his back shivering, and snuggling deeper into the back of his coat. Natsu stopped, turning his head to see her face flushed and teeth chattering. Sighing, the Fire Dragon Slayer set the girl down on a bench, taking off his white scaled scarf and wrapping it around her neck before picking her up again and continuing on his way.

At her apartment, Natsu awkwardly reached into the pocket of her black jean-shorts, ignoring his own blush, and unlocked the door, kicking it closed behind him. He carried Chi over to her bed, carefully depositing her on the mattress. The Assegai-Make Mage was unconscious, and Natsu gazed down at her peaceful face, lit up by the light of the moon streaming through the big picture window located next to the bed. Natsu felt his heartbeat increase and his cheeks heat up as he looked down at her: Her limbs were in disarray on the bed, her mouth slightly open, her cheeks tinged pink from the cold and the liquor, still wearing his scarf.

The feeling he got was strange, but one he had often. Sometimes he would just look at Chi and become short of breath and all... _tingly_. He hadn't realized until that moment that he maybe, sort of, kind of _liked_ her. She looked so adorable, sprawled out and helpless, so peaceful in her sleep. Natsu tugged her biker boots off her feet, and carefully pulled her sky blue comforter over her, tucking it in tightly under her chin. He _would_ try to get the scarf off her - he didn't like going without it for too long - but he didn't want to disturb her. _But..._ he reasoned with himself. _I can't just leave it here, unguarded._

Slowly, Natsu peeled back the covers, rolling Chi to the side so he could slide in beside her. He put plenty of distance between them: He was a gentleman, after all. Closing his eyes, Natsu turned to face the door, his back to Chi, and closed his eyes.

* * *

 **A while later, sometime in the middle of the night...**

* * *

Natsu yawned and cracked one eye open. It was still dark in the room, and moonlight cast through the window onto the wood floor, showing the shadows of snowflakes floating by. Natsu wasn't sure what time it was: Maybe an hour or two after midnight. Suddenly, Natsu realized that two warm bands were wrapped around his chest from behind. He turned his head slightly to see Chiasa nestled against him. He had his arm under her head, and she was resting halfway on his shoulder, her arms wrapped snugly around his middle.

Natsu immediately stiffened. How had this happened?! He didn't remember moving! Chi made a cute snuffling sound in her sleep, and snuggled deeper into the crook of his arm, making Natsu blush. _Well, this isn't_ so _bad_ , he thought to himself. _I mean, it's nice. Warm._ He rested his chin on the top of the Assegai-Make Mage's head, closing his eyes and sighing. _I'll just stay like this for_ a bit _more..._

The two Mages ended up curled up like that for the rest of the night, and had quite an eventful morning when a sobered-up Chi woke to find herself entwined with a sleeping Natsu. But Mira happily noticed that the next day, the two held hands under the table, and the pretty Take Over Mage caught the Fire Dragon Slayer sharing soft smiles with the Assegai-Make Mage, and the following week, the two announced that they were officially a couple.

Mira gave herself a pat on the back. So what if she'd swapped out Chi's weak glass of champagne for a much stronger one of Vodka at the New Year's party without the girl knowing? Mira did what she had to do for the sake of love.


	8. Story 8: A World in Color (1)

*** Another little one-shot for Fairy Tail :3 Enjoy, guys! (And yes, there will be a part two ;D)

* * *

 **Type:** Modern RL AU

 **Theme:** Everyone says colors are fantastic. Not that Gray would know, of course. You see, the world is in black and white for everyone who hasn't met their other half yet. When you meet the eyes of your soul-mate, they say, the world bursts into bright, fantastic color. Gray has been waiting all seventeen years of his life to meet his soul-mate, and when he catches a faint glimpse of color - a flash of bright pink - one day on the subway, he chases it all across town so he can finally see color for the first time. (Inspired by the story _Color my World_ , written by i-x-ship-x-it. Their concept, not mine! Read their story!)

 **Pairings:** Gratsu (Gray x Natsu. I'm trying ALL the couples, guys. Be warned.)

* * *

 **A World in Color, Part One**

It was a normal day for Gray. He was taking the subway home after a hard day of boring, black-and-white (literally) classes, and all he wanted to do was collapse in a chair with a cup of tea. _Of course_ , Gray thought, _school would be far less boring in color._ But Gray hadn't met his soul-mate yet, and for all he knew, he never would. After all, the chance of meeting your soul-mate, considering that the world was filled up with 7.4 billion people, was one in two-thousand, and Gray had terrible luck.

Sighing, Gray rested his chin in the palm of his hand, glancing out the window at the gray walls rocketing by. _Man_ , he thought glumly. _I'm so sick of grays and blacks and whites. Please, just give me a_ spot _of color._ Gray had read so many articles describing the different colors, he was drunk picturing what they might look like. But how can you picture something you've never seen?

Glancing to the left, Gray peered into the train car ahead of him, and gasped when he caught a bright flash of something that could only be color. And from what Gray had read online, it was pink. He'd seen a flash of sakura pink. He'd seen color, even if it was only for a brief second! Did that mean his soul-mate when in the train car in front of his? Gray tapped his foot anxiously against the metal floor of the car, craning his neck around, hoping for another flash of color to prove that he hadn't imagine the first, and waiting for the train to arrive at the station.

Finally, it squealed to a stop, and Gray leaped to his feet, knocking over a lady's bag. She scolded him, but Gray didn't bother listening. As soon as the doors slid open, Gray raced from the car, searching frantically over the heads of passersby for that same flash of color from before. Just when he was losing hope, he saw it: A bright flash of pink, a few feet ahead of him, and heading towards the stairs leading out onto the street. No! Gray couldn't lose his soul-mate now!

Shoving people out of the way and ignoring their shouted insults and threats, Gray ran towards the stairs, relying on the flashes of color he saw every now and then to lead his way. Spilling out of the station along with the rest of the crowd, Gray's shoving became more frantic as the pink bobbed around a corner. _No, no, no!_ Gray thought frantically, dodging a hot-dog cart and narrowly avoiding stepping in a huge puddle in his mad dash around corner after corner. _I can't lose them now!_

After chasing the flashes of color for nearly a half hour, Gray lost sight of them completely, and sagged against a nearby building in defeat. _Why?_ he thought dejectedly. _I see a flash of my soul-mate, my one true love, and I lose them! I'm pathetic..._

But then he saw it; the flash of sakura once again, right across the street. Gray jumped up, joy bursting inside him like fireworks. He made a dash for the curb, but had to jump back, narrowly avoiding the car that had almost hit him. He cursed as it passed, and sprinted across the street, spinning around for a frantic second, sure he had lost them once again. But then he caught sight of the color, heading towards the park. Gray grinned and pumped his arms and legs furiously, heading for nearest entrance to the park.

Dodging a balloon cart, Gray's eyes roamed the crowd, searching for the Godly flash of sakura. _There!_ he thought triumphantly, and set off again, after the pink, which was headed for a bench by the pond. Right as the person stopped, Gray grabbed the closest thing of theirs he could find, which happened to be a long scarf. "Gotcha!" He tugged the scarf, and the person turned, the air seeming to bend and fold itself around Gray as their eyes met.

The color started at the tips of the hair, which turned a bright, vibrant pink, before spreading to the face, which turned tan and flush from the wind off the water. Next were the clothes: a black trench-coat with gold trim, white jeans, and loose black boots, along with the scarf Gray currently had his fingers wrapped around, which turned out to be white. Next came the world itself, which Gray watched in wonder as it was filled up with blues and greens and purples, so different from the plain grays and blacks he was so used to seeing.

Everything was so vibrant, so luxurious, and Gray was speechless as he took it all in, watching his boring world fill up with beautiful colors. When he had gotten over the shock of the vivid blues and greens, Gray turned his attention back to the person who was his soul-mate, whose scarf he was still holding on to tightly. The pink-haired boy blinked at Gray, his amber eyes sparkling with flecks of gray and gold. Yes, it was a boy, and Gray was surprised, but he could honestly care less. His soul-mate, in the flesh, was really, _actually_ standing right in front of him, with spiky sakura hair and a scale-patterned white scarf.

"You- I'm- You're my-" they stuttered in unison, and Gray could only stand there, shell-shocked, still holding the soft white scarf. Suddenly, the sakura-haired boy grinned, and Gray felt his heart skip several beats. "I'm Natsu," he said, and Gray was about to reply when Natsu tugged Gray forward by his belt loops and into a tight hug. His face steaming, Gray managed to stutter, "I-I'm-m Gr-Gray."

The sakura haired boy's skin was pleasantly warm, and Gray couldn't help but be reminded of a fireplace or a cozy blanket on a winter day. Slowly, Gray relaxed against the boy's - his soul-mates, he told himself - chest, returning the hug. "Gray," Natsu whispered in Gray's ear, sending shivers racing up his neck. "You don't know how long I've been waiting for you."


	9. Story 9: A World in Color (2)

*** Here's part two of A World in Color.

* * *

 **Type:** Modern RL AU

 **Theme:** Everyone says colors are fantastic. Not that Gray would know, of course. You see, the world is in black and white for everyone who hasn't met their other half yet. When you meet the eyes of your soul-mate, they say, the world bursts into bright, fantastic color. Gray has been waiting all seventeen years of his life to meet his soul-mate, and when he catches a faint glimpse of color - a flash of bright pink - one day on the subway, he chases it all across town so he can finally see color for the first time.

 **Pairings:** Gratsu (Gray x Natsu.)

* * *

 **A World in Color, Part Two**

"Mom, Dad," Gray said nervously. "This is Natsu."

Natsu chuckled inwardly at how cute Gray looked when he was nervous. Natsu had been so surprised in the park weeks ago, considering that not only had he found his soul-mate, but said soul-mate was a guy. Not that Natsu cared. He had been waiting all seventeen years of his life to see vibrant color with his one true love, and it had finally happened. And Natsu hadn't even been looking. His soul-mate had found _him_.

And now he was meeting Gray's parents. Sure, they had been going out for a few weeks, but that didn't stop Natsu from being nervous as they scrutinized him like he was a bug under a microscope. "So, Natsu," Gray's mom said, making Natsu jump a little. "What do you do in your spare time?"

"Um, I like to write," Natsu said, gulping. "And I teach Martial Arts classes on Tuesdays."

"Interesting," Gray's father said, pursing his lips. "What do you like to write?"

"Oh, I have a restaurant critique blog," Natsu said, twiddling his thumbs nervously.

"Really?" Gray's father asked, perking up. "What's your online epithet?"

"Uh..." Natsu was slightly taken aback by the man's eager, slightly child-like expression. "It's Dragneel Dining Diagnostics, but everyone shortens it to-"

"DDD!" Gray's dad exclaimed. "Oh my God, I _love_ DDD!"

Natsu blinked, surprised. Was he... serious? "Honey, this is no time for your food antics," Gray's mom said, rolling her eyes. "But Mika, it's freaking _DDD_!"

While Gray's dad prattled on to his wife, Gray leaned over, looking miserable. "I'm _so_ sorry about this," he whispered to Natsu, sending shivers racing up his spine. "They're an... _acquired_ taste."

"It's fine," Natsu whispered back, giving Gray a reassuring smile. "My dad is a thousand times worse."

Gray let out a relieved breath. "That's good. I was afraid you were scared off by them already."

"Nah," Natsu said, waving his hand dismissively. "Besides," he added, grinning. "You're way too cute for me to be driven off by your parents."

Gray's face reddened, and he lightly slapped Natsu's shoulder, shushing him, which just made Natsu grin wider. "Silver, I don't care how much you love DDD," Gray's mom was saying, clearly annoyed. "We're supposed to be interrogating Gray's boyfriend!"

Gray slapped his forhead, squeezing his eyes shut, his cheeks crimson.

"But Mika, I've been wanting to meet DDD in person for years! I had no idea he was a kid, or that Gray would end up dating him! How lucky are we?"

"Oh, my God," Gray muttered, clearly dying of embarrassment. "I _cannot_ believe this is happening..."

Natsu winced. He felt so bad for Gray right now, considering his own dad did things like this all the time. But how could he help? Natsu grinned, getting a sudden burst of inspiration. He would have to kick his own antics up into full gear in order to mask the craziness of Gray's parents. Of course, Natsu already had an idea, although he was worried Gray might faint before his plan was complete. Natsu tapped Gray on the shoulder in order to get him to turn, and leaned forward, trapping him in a kiss. Gray made a noise of protest, but didn't pull away. After about ten or twenty seconds, Natsu pulled away to see Gray's parents watching them wide-eyed.

Natsu grinned. "Can you give us a little privacy?"

Stunned, Gray's mom nodded, and they left. Well, Natsu hadn't been expecting that, but... Eh. It had still worked. When he turned to Gray, the raven-haired boy was blushing brightly, a finger on his lips. Natsu grinned. "Yeah, sorry about that. But it worked, right?"

Gray's eyes turned angry, and he slapped Natsu hard on the shoulder. "What the _hell_ , Natsu? Oh, God, my parents will tease me about this for _years_ after this... Ugh, I can already imagine all the future Christmases, wasted!"

Natsu sat back and watched, grinning, letting Gray vent. "You know," he said when Gray finished, sitting back with a huff, "you're cute when you're angry."

Gray blinked disbelievingly. "You're nefarious," he said, stunned. "A criminal mastermind. My God, how are you not in jail already?"

Natsu chuckled. "I'm a good boy, Gray. Well, most of the time, anyway."

"If you're trying to flirt your way out of this, it's not going to work," Gray said, although he seemed to be faltering a bit. "Oh, come on," Natsu coaxed, giving Gray a smirk. "You don't think nefariousness is attractive? Even in the _slightest_?"

Gray pursed his lips. "Shut up. I absolutely do not."

Natsu nudged him. "You know you love me."

Gray sighed. "Shut up, Natsu."

"I'm nefarious," Natsu offered. Gray narrowed his eyes at the floor.

"I'm a criminal mastermind."

"Okay, fine, you're hot stuff! Is _that_ what you want to hear?"

"Absolutely," Natsu purred. "I like hearing it quite a lot, actually."

Gray rolled his eyes, but Natsu caught him smiling slightly. Natsu nudged his shoulder again, and Gray glanced over at him. "Okay, okay," Gray admitted. "It _was_ a clever plan."

Natsu smiled and pressed his forehead to Gray's. "I didn't expect your parents to leave us alone."

Gray shrugged. "Yeah, well; they're an acquired taste, like I said."

"I already like them," Natsu whispered, closing the gap between their lips. For the first time in his life, Natsu was seeing in color, and it was all thanks to Gray. Maybe the future was uncertain, but with Gray by his side, Natsu was certain he could face anything.


	10. Story 10: The Angel Stalks the Dragon

*** Another cute little Fairy Tail short story. Enjoy, guys :D

* * *

 **Type:** Assassin AU

 **Theme:** She is a renowned assassin under the alias 'Angel'; he is the son of the wealthiest man in the world, and he's also her target. When Lucy 'Angel' Heartfilia, the #1 assassin in the underground, gets on a flight to New York, getting ready for a job, the last thing she expects is to run into the very person she's been sent to kill: Natsu Dragneel, son of Igneel Dragneel, the world's most successful business man. And she certainly wasn't expecting to be stuck sitting next to him on a plane for five hours.

 _Why didn't he understand? Why did he not want to live in a world without her; a lowly assassin with a troubled past that made a living as a killer? Why did he have to make saying goodbye so hard? And why did she want to stay with him?_

 _Maybe the world hadn't been kind to her, but it was only now - with the cold barrel of a gun pressed against her temple - that she realized she didn't want to leave it yet. She wanted to stay and see what happened between her and Natsu; she wanted to clean up her act, try to be a decent person; and most of all, she wanted to repent for all those people she had killed. It would take years, but she was willing to do it. But no. The world didn't care how sorry she was._

 **Pairings:** NaLu (Natsu x Lucy.)

* * *

 **The Angel Stalks the Dragon**

"The flight from Los Angeles, California to New York City, New York will now be boarding. Please step forward."

Lucy cursed and stood from the table she had been sitting at in a nearby Starbucks and fumbled with her suitcase, throwing out the last measly bites of her blueberry scone. Sure, she was a high-class assassin, but she was still a teenage girl, and tended to be extremely forgetful and clumsy at times. Usually she was only graceful holding a gun, if she was honest with herself.

Fumbling for her ticket, which was stuck deep in the pocket of her red trench-coat, the wheel of Lucy's suitcase caught on the tile and she tripped, her ticket sliding across the floor to slide to a stop against the wall.

"Last call for boarders for the five-thirty flight from Los Angeles to New York City. I repeat: Last call for boarders for the five-thirty flight from Los Angeles to New York City."

"No, no, no!" Lucy grabbed her boarding pass and picked up her suitcase, half running half limping to the gate. She hurriedly handed the flight attendant her ticket and raced down the gray walkway, whirl-winding into the plane and taking a deep breath as she scanned the seat numbers. _Nine_ , she counted silently in her head. _Ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen. Ah! Fourteen!_ She glanced down at her paper to be sure. _Seat F, row fourteen. Awesome._

Lucy put her small suitcase in the bin above her row and slid in, buckling the weird plane seat-belt and pulling a paperback out of her coat pocket, flipping open to her bookmarked page as the flight attendants at the front and back of the plane droned on about safety issues that Lucy had heard about a hundred times.

"Gatsby, huh?"

Lucy jumped, almost dropping her book, fumbling with it for a startling second before regaining her grip on the pages, breathing a sigh of relief. Looking up, she almost dropped the book anyway. There, standing before her very eyes, was Natsu Dragneel, the very _person_ the agency was sending her after _right now_. Only, he was _supposed_ to be at his father's home in New York, not _here_ , in LA. What the hell was he doing there?!

"Um, yes," Lucy said nonchalantly, deciding the best decision was to play it cool. "The very same."

Natsu sat down beside her, his pink hair shining in the dim light shining through the plane windows. _Great_ , Lucy thought sarcastically, catching sight of the seat number on his boarding pass. _Out of all the seats he could've gotten, he got the one right next to mine. Ugh. Loke's gonna pay for not telling me about this!_

"So, you reading it for the first time?" Natsu asked, resting a long arm on the back of his seat. Lucy shook her head. "No. More like the sixtieth."

"Ah," Natsu said appreciatively. "A fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald, huh?"

Lucy tried not to roll her eyes at his obvious flirting. _He totally looked up that line._ "Yes. Are you?"

"Yep," Natsu said, making Lucy groan inwardly. He was obviously- " _This Side of Paradise_ is one of my favorites."

Surprised, Lucy blinked, bookmarking her page with a finger and glancing over at him. "Really?" she questioned, stunned at the fact that this guy might _actually_ read Fitzgerald. "A bit depressing, isn't it?"

Natsu shrugged. "Yeah, but it's... _real_ , ya know? I like that he's always so bold in his way of telling the truth."

Lucy nodded, feeling a traitorous, amused smile cross her face. "Absolutely right," she agreed, bookmarking her page for real as she felt the plane jerk to a start. Beside her, Natsu hurriedly buckled his seat-belt, looking slightly pale. She would've asked him is he was okay if she didn't have to kill him in approximately six hours. Dammit, she would literally _kill_ Loke for this!

Oh, screw it. "Are you feeling alright?" Lucy asked, gritting her teeth. She was an _assassin_ , for God's sake: she should've killed her social graces long ago.

"Fine," Natsu said, not sounding fine at all. "I'm just... slightly afraid of flying, is all. Nothing big."

 _Great_ , Lucy thought, sighing inwardly. _The son of the most powerful man in the world is afraid of airplanes. And I'm stuck on a flight with him for five hours._

Lucy sighed and glanced out the window as the plane launched into the sky, making her feel weightless for a split second. Beside her, Natsu was gripping the armrests of his chair and taking deep breaths. _This is going to be a long flight_ , Lucy thought, gritting her teeth.

* * *

 **Three hours later...**

* * *

Natsu squeezed his eyes shut tightly beside Lucy, and Lucy had to admit even she was feeling a bit scared. It was around eight o'clock, but you couldn't tell that because the sky was as black as night, rain pounding against the sides of the plane and harsh wind howling, shaking them around like they were in a roller-coaster. People were praying and babies were crying, and Natsu was squeezing the hell out of the armrests. Lucy was _not_ having a good flight.

The bumps intensified and Natsu wrapped his fingers tightly with Lucy's, making her jump. She glanced over to find him pale as a ghost, and taking panicked breaths. Lucy gulped, not willing to admit that she squeezed his fingers back slightly. She wasn't afraid of flying, but she sure as hell was afraid of crashing. The rain seemed to swell outside, and the plane tipped hard to the side, and Lucy let out a frantic squeak as the people in the plane panicked, screams filling the aisles. She really thought they were going to crash, but then the plane leveled, and the wind seemed to pound less on the metal body of the plane.

Sweat ran down Natsu's face, and Lucy wiped her own sweating forehead with the back of her free hand, Natsu still holding her hand left in a death-grip. The captain came over the intercom, announcing that they were through the worst of the storm and that they would be arriving at the New York City airport in two hours. Lucy closed her eyes, taking a deep, relieved breath through her nose. Loke was _so_ going to get in when she got back.

Slowly, Lucy opened her eyes and sighed, settling back against the seat. She was okay. She would arrive safely at the airport, and then... Then what? She glanced over at Natsu, who was resting his head against the back of the seat, taking deep breaths. She sighed. Lucy didn't want to kill him now that she'd met him. He wasn't a bad person; his father was. Why did he have to be punished for his dad's actions? But Lucy couldn't just come back without doing the job, could she? Could she kill Mr. Dragneel himself?

Well, she supposed it wouldn't hurt to try. And Natsu's life would be spared. Lucy felt a little absurd, though. Feeling so sentimental for a stranger she'd met on a plane three hours earlier? What was she thinking? Warm breath hit Lucy's neck, and something soft brushed against her cheek, a gentle weight pressing down on her left shoulder. She glanced down to see Natsu's head resting on her shoulder. She sucked in a breath and eyed his hair. It was sakura pink, and looked soft, sticking up in spikes like waves on his head.

She found herself reaching out to touch it, and it was as soft as she'd thought. Lucy was just leaning her nose down to take a tentative whiff of what smelled like marshmallows when there was a sudden bump of turbulence. Natsu started, bringing his head up straight into her chin. "OW!" Lucy's head banged back against the window and she cursed, holding a hand to her sore head as Natsu blinked at her curiously.

"Uh, sorry..." He trailed off, and Lucy realized he didn't even know her name. "Lucy," she told him, still holding a hand to the swelling bump on her head. Natsu gave her a small smile. "I'm Natsu. Also, are you okay?" He held out a hand and turned her head, wincing when he saw the bump. "Sorry. I guess that was my fault."

Lucy waved him away. "I'm okay. We're both guilty." Natsu sat back, leaning an arm on the back of his seat. Lucy glanced at his sharp jawline, tracing it up to his sparkling onyx eyes. _What am I doing?_ Lucy shook her head and cleared her throat, looking out at the gray sky, rain still leaving streaks against the window. _We're strangers_ , she scolded herself. _Sure, he's attractive, but I was ready and willing to kill him a few hours ago!_

"Lucy? You sure you're okay?"

Lucy jerked out of her stupor and glanced over at him, smiling hesitantly. "Huh? Oh, yes. I'm fine."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Right. Well, we're almost there."

Lucy nodded. "Of course. Right." She sat back in her seat and glanced out the window again. She was quite aware that Natsu was still holding her hand, and his palm was warm against hers, like she had her hand held out in front of a fireplace. It was an odd feeling. Holding hands with a stranger, that is. But... it was also nice. Really nice. _But_ , Lucy reasoned with herself. _You're an assassin: He's the son of a business mogul. It's just not in the cards, even if he_ is _interested in you._

The pilot came on to tell them to buckle their seat-belts for the landing, and Lucy bit her lip, her emotions and brain warring wildly inside of her. On the one hand, her assassin training and lessons at keeping away her emotions told her to get the job done, no matter what, and on the other, her heart was telling her to spare him and just see what happened. There was no clear option with no consequences.

The plane touched down with a jolt, sending a faint tremor up Lucy's leg. As the people unbuckled their seat-belts and stepped out into the aisle, Lucy let Natsu step up first and reached for the overhead compartment. When it clicked open, the bag, which must've been dislodged during the turbulence, tumbled down, and Lucy threw up her hands, getting ready to screech. But nothing hit her. Cautiously, Lucy opened one eye to see that Natsu had caught her suitcase easily, and was holding it out to her, grinning. "T-thanks," she muttered, embarrassed. Heading towards the front of the plane with Natsu on her tail, Lucy rolled her bag behind her, heading towards the nearest Starbucks to call Loke and rant.

The one thing she hadn't planned on was Natsu following her, which he did. When Lucy sat down, Natsu took the seat across from her. She was about to ask him what he was doing when she noticed all the other seats were full. Sighing, Lucy pulled out her phone, deciding that texting Loke would have to do.

 _What the hell?_ she texted. _Dragneel Jr. in LA? WTF happened? What's status on job now?_

Setting down her phone, Lucy noticed Natsu glancing down at his own screen, frowning as he typed. Lucy discreetly straightened and caught sight of the text he'd just received, and his reply. _When will you be here? You're seventeen, Natsu! I shouldn't have to look after you like you're a toddler!_ someone had texted. _On my way. Sorry_ , Natsu had texted back. He slammed his phone down, tugging a hand through his hair.

"Um, you okay?" Lucy asked, glancing at the phone. Natsu shook his head. "Ugh, my father's just being an asshole, as always."

"Oh," Lucy said, surprised. "You two don't get along well?"

Natsu snorted. "Get along? I hate him."

Lucy pursed her lips. "Hm. Well, maybe you should hire an assassin."

"Maybe I should."

Lucy smiled. "You're lucky I am one."

Natsu gave her a blank look before laughing slightly, rolling his eyes. "Ha ha. Very funny."

At Lucy's serious gaze, Natsu stiffened slightly and glanced around, leaning forward. "You're serious?" he whispered. Lucy nodded, meeting his gaze evenly. Natsu paled. "Holy- You- Oh, my God."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes. Do you want to kill you father, or not?"

Natsu paled. "I didn't mean it! I- I wouldn't..." He trailed off, his brow furrowing, as if he were thinking. Lucy smiled, knowing that perhaps the trip hadn't been useless after all.

* * *

 **Several hours later...**

* * *

Lucy stood in front of Igneel Dragneel, holding her injured arm tightly to her chest and grimacing as the red-haired man gripped her roughly by the hair. "You insolent bitch," he spat. "To think you would make an attempt on my life, corrupting my only son in the process?! You'll pay for this."

"G-get away from her!" Natsu yelled weakly from where he was slumped against the wall, where his father had thrown him only moments ago. Lucy turned her tear-filled eyes to him, begging him silently to let her die with some dignity. Why didn't he understand? Why did he not want to live in a world without her; a lowly assassin with a troubled past that made a living as a killer? Why did he have to make saying goodbye so hard? And why did she want to stay with him?

Igneel lifted a gun, clicking a single bullet into place, and Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, preparing herself for what was coming. Maybe the world hadn't been kind to her, but it was only now - with the cold barrel of a gun pressed against her temple - that she realized she didn't want to leave it yet. She wanted to stay and see what happened between her and Natsu; she wanted to clean up her act, try to be a decent person; and most of all, she wanted to repent for all those people she had killed. It would take years, but she was willing to do it. But no. The world didn't care how sorry she was.

Lucy heard the trigger begin to click. "NO!" Natsu shouted, and Lucy felt herself wrenched hard to the side, rolling head over heels and ending up trapped under Natsu's bulk. "Shit!" she cursed, sitting up frantically, her eyes flying over every inch of him to check for a bullet hole. "Are you shot? God, tell me you're not shot! Natsu!"

"I'm fine," he huffed, standing and pulling her to her feet. Igneel was behind them, reaching down for his gun, which Natsu must have knocked out of his hand. "We have to go: Now!" He pulled her to her feet and they ran, Igneel firing panicked shots after them, missing every time. Somehow, they made it to the docks that bordered the lake the Dragneels owned, and Natsu hurriedly untied a boat, throwing Lucy in ahead of him and turning the key. The motor spluttered to life, and Natsu pulled them away from land. Shots rang out behind them, and Natsu cursed and ducked as he steered, aiming for the other side of the lake. Suddenly, the mansion behind them exploded in a bright flash of fire and sound, and the two teens breathed sighs of relief.

"The explosives finally went off," Lucy said, setting her head back against the boat's side. "We're safe. We're going to make it."

"Of course, we're fugitives now, aren't we?" Natsu said, attempting a light laugh. "Our life's going to be interesting for a while."

"Don't worry," Lucy said, smiling out at the lake. "I'm an assassin, remember? I've always got a backup plan."


	11. Story 11: A Teenage Vampire

*** Here's another short little cute story, guys! Enjoy :D

* * *

 **Type:** Vampire AU

 **Theme:** Wendy is your average thirteen-year-old schoolgirl, worrying about friends, grades, and boys. That is, until she meets a strange boy with fangs...

 **Pairings:** RoWen (Romeo x Wendy.)

* * *

 **~ Wendy ~**

* * *

Wendy was walking home from school on a cool September afternoon, leaves crunching beneath her boots and wind tugging at her clothes and blowing her long blue hair forward. Wendy huddled deeper in her coat, shivering. It was oddly cold for September, and the air was frigid, the wind like ice against her cheeks.

The sky was already darkening, and Wendy stopped beside a street-lamp to tighten her scarf and button the top button of her coat, her breath frosting out in a pallid cloud in front of her face. Sticking her gloved hands in her large pockets, Wendy continued on her way, hoping that there was some hot chocolate left so she could warm herself up.

A sudden crinkling nearby made her stop and look around. Wendy was walking by the park, and ahead, propped up against a tree, was a boy with dark purple hair, close to her age, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans and a loose red t-shirt. His eyes were closed and his face was deathly pale, and Wendy would've thought he was dead if not for the fierce shivers that shook his whole body.

"Oh, my God!" Wendy ran forward, and knelt beside the boy, immediately taking off her scarf and wrapping it around his neck. His eyelids flickered slightly, and opened halfway to reveal sparkling onyx eyes. "Are you okay?" Wendy asked frantically, resting a hand on his arm and helping him stand. "Where am I?" he answered, looking around, confused.

"In Magnolia Park," Wendy answered, helping him over to a nearby bench. "You don't remember how you got here?"

The boy shook his head. "No, I- Everything's a blank."

"Well, I'm Wendy. What's your name?"

"Romeo," he said, shivering. Wendy nodded, determined. "Right, well, if you have amnesia, the only thing you can do is wait and see if your memories come back. Why don't you come home with me. I would feel terrible if I left you out in the cold like this."

Romeo shook his head. "No, no; I couldn't possibly impose on you like that."

Wendy waved him off. "I insist. Now come on. It's not that far from here." She helped him stand and they walked down the street together, towards Wendy's small apartment. Inside, she quickly turned on the heat, got a blanket for Romeo, and started boiling some water for hot cocoa. "Thank you for everything, Wendy," Romeo said as she handed him a steaming mug with two big marshmallows. She smiled at him. "No problem. I would want someone to do the same for me."

"But... are you sure it's okay for me to stay here? I mean, we just met, and it's kinda strange..."

"I'm sure," Wendy insisted, nodding resolutely. "My mom will be gone for a few days on a business trip, but I can take care of you until she gets back. She's a doctor, so I know a bit about taking care of sick people."

Romeo smiled as he sipped his hot cocoa. "That's good. Thanks again for all this."

"No problem."

* * *

 **~ Romeo ~**

* * *

As soon as Romeo finished his hot chocolate, Wendy went to the kitchen to wash the mugs. Romeo swore under his breath, rubbing his arms. He'd had to lie about having amnesia. The only reason he was like this was because he hadn't had blood in weeks, but he couldn't very well tell her that, could he? _And besides_ , he thought, liking his lips. _We'll be alone all night. I can take some from her while she's sleeping. She won't even notice._

"Romeo," Wendy called from the kitchen. "You can sleep in my mom's room tonight. Is that all right?"

"Uh, sure!" Romeo called back, snuggling deeper under the blanket. Damn, he was cold. He shouldn't have gone so long without feeding, but he hadn't been able to find anyone alone recently. He should've asked Natsu or Gajeel for help. _They_ were never thirsty like he was. But they would've laughed at him, and his dad would never let him live it down.'

Wendy came back into the room carrying a sandwich in her hand, which she held out to him, smiling a warm smile that made his heart flutter like a butterfly. "Thanks," he said, and their fingers brushed when he reached out to grab it, sending a spark racing up Romeo's arm. He took a bite of the sandwich, sighing in contentment. (Yes, vampires _did_ have to eat regular food. While blood was technically enough to keep them going, they still felt hungry for regular food, you know.)

Wendy giggled and sat down beside him, hugging her knees to her chest and flipping on the TV. She turned to a channel playing _Supernatural_ , and Romeo raised an eyebrow. " _You_ watch _Supernatural_?"

"Of course," she replied, never taking her eyes off the screen. A slow smile spread across Romeo's face as he finished his sandwich and watched the show alongside her. They both laughed or winced at the same scenes, and when the show was over, Romeo was feeling conflicted. Wendy stood and walked towards presumable her room, her long blue hair catching the light. It would've made Romeo's heart beat faster, if it still worked.

"You can stay up if you want," Wendy said, opening her door and pausing to glance back at him. Romeo stood and resisted the urge to run a hand through his hair. "No, I'll got to sleep. Goodnight." Before Wendy could respond, Romeo was in her mother's bedroom, shutting the door and letting out the breath he'd been holding.

 _God_ , he thought, holding a hand to his head. _How am I supposed to take blood from her? She's so damn_ nice _!_

* * *

 **~ Wendy ~**

* * *

Romeo bolted into her mom's room, and Wendy raised an eyebrow as she closed her door. She shook her head and pulled on her pajamas, turning on the light in her bathroom to brush her teeth. When she was done with that, Wendy pulled back the covers of her bed and slid under. She fluffed the pillow once before laying down, attempting to get comfortable. After a moment, she groaned in frustration and got up, tugging off her pajama shorts and turning on the fan. She didn't care if there was a strange boy in her house; it was _hot_. Her mother must've left the heat on full blast.

Wendy slid back under the covers. "That's better," she sighed, rolling over on her side and closing her eyes. It seemed like sleep would never come, even when Wendy's breaths were even, and her muscles were completely relaxed.

After an hour or so of silence, Wendy's door creaked open. She froze, keeping her breathing neutral even as her heart started hammering wildly against her rib-cage like it wanted to escape. She was frozen with panic. Soft breaths could be heard above her own, and Wendy felt cool hands brush the hair away from her neck. Lips brushed against the soft skin there, and something nibbled at her skin. Finally bursting out of her shell of shock, Wendy flung her covers over her assailant's head, springing from the bed and grabbing a trophy from her desk, brandishing it like a club.

When the assailant finally managed to pull the covers off, Wendy found herself looking right at Romeo. She straightened out of her defensive stance, but didn't set the trophy down. "What are you doing in my room? And why were you _nibbling my neck_?!"

Romeo stared at Wendy, eyes wide, hair disheveled from the blanket being thrown on top of it. Wendy's heart beat slowed and she started to think rationally again. Setting the trophy back on her desk, she ran a shaky hand through her hair. "Don't scare me like that. I still want an explanation."

"Uh, sure," Romeo said, averting his gaze. "But, um, could you put some pants on first?"

Wendy let out a squeal as she remembered she had discarded her shorts before bed and scurried to pick them up, pulling them on with a tomato red blush. She gathered her wits together with a deep breath and sat on the bed, patting the mattress. Romeo sat next to her reluctantly, not meeting her eyes.

"Well, you see... I'm-" he broke off the sentence, gulping. "I'm a... vampire."

Wendy blinked at him. Blinked again. She burst out laughing, startling Romeo. "Good one," she huffed, rubbing her eyes, which were watering. "But seriously."

"I am serious."

Wendy looked over at him, still fighting off the laugh. "Vampires don't exist."

"Well," Romeo said, tugging a hand through his hair. "See for yourself." He pulled down his bottom lip and his two incisors elongated, sharpening into fine points. Wendy gasped, her eyes locked on what could only be _fangs_. Oh, my God. He has- He has fangs. Holy crap. Is he really a vampire?! But then... He was trying to drink my blood? Thoughts raced through Wendy's head as she continued to stare at him dumbly.

"I was afraid this would happen," Romeo sighed, slumping over. "I'll just go. Thanks for saving me earlier."

He started to stand, but Wendy shook her head, snapping herself out of her thoughts. She tugged him back down and met his eyes, her gaze intense. Romeo gulped, pulling on his collar, uncomfortable. "Why were you in the park earlier?"

"Um, I- I, ya see... I haven't had blood for a few weeks, and, well- Well, I need it to stay strong, but there haven't been any opportunities, and I-"

Wendy shushed him, studying the boy before her. He looked frightened and terribly, terribly sad, and alone. Wendy felt her heart beat painfully for him; for that sad look in his eyes. This boy... Wendy didn't know what it was, but she felt a strange attraction to him, like he was a magnet pulling her towards him.

"I think I might be able to solve your problem."

* * *

 **~ Romeo ~**

* * *

Romeo frowned. "Um, how?"

Wendy pulled aside the sleeve of her tank-top and brushed the hair away from her neck. "I'll let you have some of my blood."

"No," Romeo protested immediately, standing and pacing over to stand by her slightly open window.

"Why not?" she asked behind him.

"Because!" he exclaimed in frustration, tearing a hand through his purple hair. "You just met me, and I told you I'm a vampire, and you want to _help_ me? Why?"

Wendy was silent for a moment. "I don't know. I just don't think you're a bad person."

"Well I am," Romeo said darkly, turning to her. She met his eyes, and hers held no fear. Romeo stalked forward and bent down, causing Wendy to lean back on her hands on the bed. Their noses were almost touching as she breathed out, "I'm not afraid of you."

"You should be."

"But I'm not." She pushed Romeo off her and stood, glaring at Romeo and stalking forward to jab a finger into his chest. "I'm trying to _help_ you! I don't know why, but I see sadness in your eyes, and I want to _help you_! Why won't you just _let me_?"

"Because!" Romeo yelled back, anger and frustration bubbling up inside him. "I'm a monster! You're supposed to scream and run, not offer to _feed_ me!"

"I'M TRYING TO HELP!"

"I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!"

"Clearly you do!" Wendy yelled, her brown eyes flashing with anger. "Remember I found you in the park half- _dead_ earlier!"

"Ugh!" Romeo exclaimed, turning away angrily. Why? Why did this girl he'd only just met care so much? What was she trying to gain by helping him? Why did she not think he was a monster? Why did she not run and scream like everyone else? And why did he want to be so near to her? What was going on in his head?

"Just... let me _help you_ ," Wendy pleaded, grabbing his arm. He slowly turned to face her. "Are you... sure about this? I don't know how it will feel. It might hurt."

Wendy's jaw tightened, her eyes shining with determination. "I'm sure."

Romeo took a deep breath. "Alright," he relented. Wendy watched him as he brushed her hair behind her ear, tilting her head to the side slightly. "Are you one hundred percent sure?" he asked, just to make sure. Wendy nodded, and closed her eyes. Romeo sighed and tilted his head, letting his lips fall on her neck. He didn't want to hurt her. He didn't want to scare her. Gently, Romeo bit down on her neck. Wendy made a small sound, but it didn't sound like a pained one.

Her blood was sweet; like chocolate and something fresher; maybe mint? Whatever it was, Romeo wasn't sure he could pull himself away from it, it was that intoxicating.

* * *

 **~ Wendy ~**

* * *

Wendy felt like fireworks were going off inside her. He had said it might hurt; this was not what she had been expecting. It was extreme euphoria, like she was on the top of a roller-coaster about to plummet towards the ground. After what felt like hours Romeo pulled his teeth away from her neck, gasping for breath. "I- Sorry," he said, stumbling back and holding a hand to his mouth. "I got carried away."

"I'm... fine," Wendy said, although she swayed a little.

"Shit," Romeo cursed, hurrying over and holding her up. "You're not fine. I took too much."

"I love you," Wendy said, giggling. Her head felt light and airy, and she herself felt _wonderful_.

Romeo blushed bright red. "You don't know what you're saying."

"'Course I do," she said, tugging him forward and wrapping her arms around his head, giggling. "I love you, love you, love, loooooove, hahaha." She burst into fits of giggles, feeling drunk as she flopped back down on her bed, dragging Romeo with her. She kept spouting off "loves" as she hugged him tightly, feeling the happiest she'd ever felt. For some reason she was also starting to feel a lot like kissing him, which she wasn't sure is she should do or not.

Was it proper to kiss someone you'd just met? More importantly, was it proper to kiss a vampire? Wendy burst into another fit of giggles at the word 'vampire' and closed her eyes for a split second. She must've been much more tired than she thought, though, because those brief seconds sealed her eyes shut, and Wendy felt herself falling, falling, falling into a deep sleep, dreams of a purple-haired vampire filling her head.

* * *

 **~ Romeo ~**

* * *

Romeo, his face buried in her tank-top, struggled to get up. Eventually Wendy's delirious spouting of "loves" began to fade, and Romeo cautiously picked himself up to see her face relaxed, breathing even, and lips slightly parted. He stood and gazed down at her for a while, taking in every inch of her so he could remember it all until he saw her again. Eventually he got a first aid kit and cleaned the fang wounds at her neck, sticking a bright blue bandage over the wound.

Once that was done, Romeo pulled open the window all the way. Before leaving, he walked back over to Wendy and gently covered her with a blanket. He gaze flickered down to her lips, and a faint smile flickered across his own. Just the once, he thought as he leaned over. I'll let myself have just this.

Her lips were warm and soft before he pulled away, and he brushed a hand across her hair before sticking his legs over the window ledge. He glanced back at her sleeping form once with a smile. "See you around, Wendy," he murmured, before leaping to the street below. He gazed back at her open window before sticking his hands in the pockets of his jeans and starting towards home.


	12. Story 12: Itch

**Type:** Regular FT World

 **Theme:** Theme prompt; itch.

 **Pairings:** Gruvia

* * *

Gray walked into the guild with a murderous look on his face. As soon as Natsu saw him, he gulped and turned away to go sit with Lucy, shooting a wide-eyed look Gray's way, which the Ice Mage chose to ignore. He sat down at the bar and Juvia, who was at a nearby table watching him, noticed that his eyebrow twitched slightly as he ordered a drink from Mira.

Cautiously, Juvia walked over and sat two stools away from him. Ever since losing in the naval battle during the Grand Magic Games, Juvia had realized she was being way too clingy and took a few steps back, so she wasn't always focused on Gray and didn't obsess over him every second of every day. She had also slowly been working on talking in first person, since Lucy thought it would boost her confidence.

Gray gritted his teeth as he took a sip of his drink, and Juvia cleared her throat, rehearsing what she was going to say. "Gray-sa-" she stopped herself before finishing the -sama, and took a deep breath. "Gray, are _you_ okay?" She silently gave herself a pat on the back for both using first person and not adding -sama to his name.

"I'm fine," Gray ground out, his shoulders tense as he knocked back his drink in one gulp, standing. "But I really must be going."

"But you just-" Gray stormed out of the guild, his eyes stormy and hackles raised. "Got here," Juvia finished lamely, sighing. Mira stuck her head over the bar, drying off a glass. "You should follow him," the whitenette encouraged, smiling. "I'm sure he'll tell you what's wrong."

Juvia frowned. "Juvia isn't- _I'm_ not sure if Gray wants me to follow him."

Mira shook her head. "I'm sure he does! Go after him."

Juvia bit her lip, but eventually gave in. "Okay, Mira-san. Wish me luck!"

Mira waved and shouted encouragements as Juvia stood and jogged out of the guild, taking the nearest shortcut to Gray's apartment. As she knocked on the door, Juvia had to clasp her hands behind her back to avoid fixing her hair or straightening her dress. After a moment Gray answered, looking annoyed, holding a long metal spatula in one hand.

"What is it?" he snapped, making Juvia flinch. Gray tugged his free hand through his hair, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Sorry, Juvia. Come in."

The Water Mage nodded and stepped past him, glancing around as Gray closed the door. He walked back towards the kitchen and gestured for Juvia to take a seat at the kitchen table. She obliged, watching him as he set the spatula down, looking like it was a dear family member who he had to say goodbye to. "I'll make some tea."

When he had finished, Gray set two blue mugs down on the table, and slid one across to Juvia, who took it hesitantly and sniffed. It smelled like peppermint, and she took a small sip. It was hot, but not too hot, and Juvia felt shivers travel through her as it warmed her whole body. She shivered with pleasure and took another sip, her mind completely off Gray for a moment, surprised by the goodness of the simple tea.

The two Mages sat in awkward silence for a while, Gray seeming to go more and more rigid each second. Finally, with a guttural yell that made Juvia jump, he flipped over the table and grabbed her by the shoulders. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! There's this terrible _itch_ on my back, and I can't reach it, and it WON'T GO AWAY! PLEASE HELP ME, JUVIA!"

Juvia blinked at him. "That's why Gra- _you've_ been acting strange all day?"

Gray nodded, his eyes pleading with her. "Plleeeeasseeee, I'm begggginnnnggg you! Scratch my back!"

"Um, sure," Juvia answered, a ray of happiness shining inside her that her Gray-sama wanted her to scratch his back. She shook it off. This was a normal friend thing. Friends asked each other to scratch their backs all the time. A sudden flash of inspiration hit Juvia, and she smiled as Gray tugged off his shirt. "I'll scratch your back," she said, smiling. "But only if you scratch mine, too."

"Of course!" Gray replied immediately, his tone turning pleading as he added, "Anything you want! Just, please God, _scratch my back_!"

Juvia giggled and raised her arms, running her nails up and down his back. "Ahhhhh," Gray moaned, in utter bliss as the unscratchable itch was finally scratched. "Oh, oh; more to the left. Yes. YES! Right there! Harder! OH MY GOD, RIGHT THERE! _UGGGGHHHH_!"

* * *

Outside, Lucy and Erza stood, mortified, Lucy's fist half raised to knock on the door.

"Yes. YES! Right there! Harder! OH MY GOD, RIGHT THERE! _UGGGGHHHH_!" they heard, making their faces redden even more.

"Maybe we should come back later," Lucy said meekly, her cheeks flaming as red as Erza's hair. The Requip Mage nodded wordlessly, and the two girls turned and scurried off, making a beeline for the guild so they could fill in Mira on this newest... development.

Needless to say, Gray and Juvia got lots of... _questions_ the next day.


	13. Story 13: Skype Chats (2)

**Type:** Modern RL AU

 **Theme:** Skype chats between the Fairy Tail Mages. (There will probably be a lot more of these.)

 **Pairings:** Jerza and Nalu, if you squint.

* * *

 _CelestialGoddess signing onto group 'Fairy Talk'._

 **CelestialGoddess:** Hey guys.

 **FiredUp:** Hey Luce

 **SnowCone22:** Hey

 **CelestialGoddess:** So, anyone else see the Jellal/Erza debacle at lunch today?

 **SnowCone22:** Lol, yes. Her face turned so red, and I swear Jellal almost passed out XD

 **FiredUp:** The best part was when Erza almost skinned Gajeel

 **IronFists:** Don't remind me -_- The bruises will last weeks...

 **FiredUp:** Lol

 _SkySister1 signing onto group 'Fairy Talk'._

 **SkySister1:** Hey guys

 **Celestial Goddess:** Hey Wendy

 **FiredUp:** Hey

 **SnowCone22:** Sup

 **IronFists:** Hi

 **SkySister1:** You guys talking about the Erza/Jellal lunchtime show?

 **SnowCone22:** Duh. Care to join in?

 **Cake4Ever:** Don't you dare, Wendy -_-

 **FiredUp:** ERZA? How long have you been on?!

 **Cake4Ever:** The whole time, idiot

 **MysteryMan17:** Me too

 **SnowCone22:** Jellal?! Is there anyone else we should know about?!

 **BookLover:** Me

 **EatMyDust:** Also me

 **ManlyMan:** And me

 **CelestialGoddess:** Oh, for the love of...

 **DrunkAndProud:** Don't forget me!

 **BoyfriendMaterial:** OR ME!

 **SnowCone22:** This has gotten a bit out of hand...

 **FiredUp:** Ya don't say, ice princess

 **SnowCone22:** You wanna go, flame brain?!

 **FiredUp:** Any time, any place, snowflake!

 **Cake4Ever:** STOP FIGHTING BEFORE I BREAK INTO YOUR HOUSES AND SMASH YOUR HEADS TOGETHER!

 **FiredUp:** A-Aye...

 **SnowCone22:** A-Aye...

* * *

 **In case they weren't clear enough, here're the usernames;**

CelestialGoddes = Lucy

FiredUp = Natsu

SnowCone22 = Gray

IronFists = Gajeel

SkySister1 = Wendy

Cake4Ever = Erza

MysteryMan17 = Jellal

BookLover = Levy

EatMyDust = Jet

ManlyMan = Elfman

DrunkAndProud = Cana

BoyfriendMaterial = Loke


	14. Story 14: Loke's Pickup Lines

**Type:** Regular FT World

 **Theme:** Loke's pickup lines.

 **Pairings:** Locana

* * *

"Hey," Loke said to Cana, grinning. "Want to hear some pickup lines?"

Cana, who was already on her third barrel of the day, shrugged. "Sure," she slurred, hiccuping.

"Alright," Loke said, rubbing his hands together. "Here goes." He cleared his throat. "Roses are red, violets are blue; I didn't know what perfect was until I met you."

Cana stared at him blankly, and Loke continued, "I'm no organ donor, but I'd be happy to give you my heart."

She snickered. Loke cleared his throat and tried the next one. "If I were a cat, I'd want to spend all nine lives with you."

"Technically you are a cat," Cana pointed out, making Loke scowl. "Shut up." Cana snickered again and Loke thought of another line. "Okay, okay; Are you a magician? Because whenever I see you, everyone else disappears."

Cana raised an eyebrow. "I actually am a-"

Loke shushed her. "Alright, alright, I'll try another one. Okay; I used to be a gambler, but then I realized that all I needed was the Queen of my Heart."

Cana rolled her eyes. "Okay, how about this one; Your lips look so lonely... Would they like to meet mine?"

"Oh, my God," Cana gasped, banging her fist on the table and laughing hysterically. Loke frowned. "Okay... next one it is. You must be one hell of a thief, because you stole my heart from across the room."

Cana just shook her head, and Loke sighed. "You may from from the sky, you may fall from a tree, but the best way to fall is in love with me. "

"Okay," Cana admitted. "You're getting there."

Loke pumped a fist. "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."

Cana snorted. "You know what material this is?" Loke grabbed his jacket and smiled. "Boyfriend material."

"Would you grab my arm so I can tell my friends I've been touched by an angel?"

"When I look into your eyes, it is like a gateway into the world of which I want to be a part."

"I'm afraid of the dark… Will you sleep with me tonight?"

"I just had to come talk with you. Sweetness is my weakness."

"Hey Cana, what time is it?"

Cana rolled her eyes. "Twelve seventeen."

Loke nodded. "Mmhmm. Okay, so today is May first, twelve seventeen P.M. Thanks. I just wanted to remember the exact time I met the woman of my dreams."

"Where do you find all of these?" Cana asked in wonder. Loke shrugged. "I never reveal my secrets, but... Did any of them work?"

Cana smirked. "Nope. You'll have to do a lot better to win me over."

"Okay, one more," Loke said, crossing his fingers. He met her eyes. "I want to be your tear drop, so I could be born in your eyes, live on your cheeks, and die on your lips."

Cana blinked. Blinked again. A slow smile spread across her face. "Okay, Lion Boy. Ya got me."

"Yes!" Loke pumped his fists in the air. "Now, about what I said earlier... Would your lips like to meet mine?"

"You're hopeless."

"I know."


	15. Story 15: A Trip to the Dentist

**Type:** Modern RL AU

 **Theme:** Gray tries to take Sylver to the dentist: It doesn't work out very well.

 **Pairings:** Graysylv

* * *

 **A Trip to the Dentist**

* * *

Sylver was sitting in the backseat of Gray's beat-up black truck, hugging her knees to her chest and sulking. Gray glanced back at her in the rear-view mirror, rolling his eyes as his girlfriend pouted like a toddler.

"Babe, I know you hate going, but you have to at some point."

"Shut up. It's the most evil, vile, horrifying, despicable, disgusting place on the planet!"

"But it's just the dentist!"

"EXACTLY!"

Gray pulled into the parking lot, yanked his keys out of the ignition, pulled off his seat-belt, and turned back to stare meaningfully at his girlfriend's, which was still buckled. "Unbuckle your seat-belt."

"No." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Sylver," Gray warned in his best scary-boyfriend voice. "Don't make me come back there."

She only stuck out her tongue at him in response. Gray cracked his knuckles and grinned evilly. "I warned you." He launched over the gap in the seats and lunged for her seat-belt. His girlfriend was - unfortunately - a good fighter, so eventually he had to resort to tickling her to keep her immobilized long enough to unbuckle the damn thing.

He pinned her to the seat. "Now," he said, smiling down at her. "Are we doing this the easy way or the hard way?"

She glared up at him and shoved him off, climbing out of the car dejectedly and shooting him hateful looks as she trudged through the snow towards the door to the office. Gray smiled and hopped out after her, locking the car and sticking his keys in his pocket. He had gotten her out of the car successfully, and he was feeling pretty happy right now.

* * *

 **Later...**

* * *

Gray was in hell. Sylver was breaking his hand, the nurse was holding back fits of hysterical laughter, and all the kids were giving them looks like they were freaks. And all because they mentioned the words laughing gas. His girlfriend had five cavities and apparently needed a lot of work done, but that was probably because of the fact that she hadn't been to a dentist in seven years...

Anyway, Gray ended up being the one who suffered. After they finally managed to give Sylver the shot, she had calmed down, but was all giggly and kept looking over at him like she wanted to rip his clothes off right here in front of all these nurses and little kids. He was kind of scared of what would happen when they turned her over to him to take home.

That night, Gray ended up having to keep a close watch over his girlfriend because she thought that a screwdriver was a type of candy and that a balloon was a terrifying floating monster. Long story short: Gray would never be taking Sylver to the dentist again.


	16. Story 16: Brown Eye, Green Eye

**Type:** Modern RL AU

 **Theme:** (Based off this drawing I saw. Kinda similar to _World in Color_.) Everyone is born with heterochromia, meaning they have two different eye colors. Only, it's not _really_ heterochromia. They say that you're born with one eye the color you were meant to have, and the other the one belonging to your soulmate. And until you meet the eyes of your soulmate, you remain with two different colored eyes; one a window into your soul, and the other into your soulmate's.

 **Pairings:** Nalu, Gruvia, Jerza, Rowen, Gale.

* * *

Lucy was in the park having a girl's day out with Juvia, Levy, Erza, and Wendy. Just a typical day. Erza's eyes - one light brown, one a slightly darker, more green brown - sparkled as she took a bite of strawberry cake, sighing happily. You see, all of us had two different color eyes; Juvia had one cobalt blue eye, and one navy blue, Levy had one hazel eye, and one dark crimson one, Wendy had one light brown eye, and one onyx one, and I had one chocolate brown eye, and one a lovely olive green.

Let me explain: Everyone is born with heterochromia, meaning they have two different eye colors. Only, it's not _really_ heterochromia. They say that you're born with one eye the color you were meant to have, and the other the one belonging to your soulmate. And until you meet the eyes of your soulmate, you remain with two different colored eyes. It's all very poetic.

Out of the five of us, none of us have found our soulmate yet. I've been searching for my soulmate all sixteen years of my life, and it starts to get tiring. I mean, out of all the people in the world, it's a slim chance that your soulmate will live in the same _country_ as you, let alone city. But I'll keep searching, anyway.

"Lucy, you must try this!" Erza insisted, holding out a forkful of cake. I smiled and took it from her. "Mmm! It _is_ good!"

Wendy was smiling down at her phone. "Who're you texting?" Levy asked, peeking over her shoulder. Juvia peeked over the other, and Wendy showed them the screen. "Natsu."

"Isn't he your cousin?" I asked, taking a sip of my sweet tea.

"Yep. Although we've only met in person once before, we skype all the time. He lives two states away."

"Oh yeah," Levy said, chewing on a french fry. "You've talked about him before."

"Yeah. I'm excited, because he's coming to visit. He actually should be here sometime today. My mom went to pick him up from the airport an hour ago."

I tuned out of the conversation, watching a nearby set of kids playing by the pond. One of them was a girl, and the other a boy, and their eyes were both the same. So lucky, to have found their soulmate so young... Their parents would probably let them grow up together, be side by side all their lives. Lucky...

"Natsu just texted me," Wendy was saying, looking down at her screen. "He says- Eh? He says he's on his way to the park now. Maybe Mom told him to come meet me here?"

I took another sip of my drink before setting it on the table and getting up. "I'll be right back. I'm going to the bathroom."

I walked to the little brick building where the bathrooms were, the hot summer wind blowing my long blonde hair back behind my ears. When I was finished, I washed my hands, splashing a little water on my neck in an attempt to get a small bit of relief from the hot day before walking back towards the picnic table where my friends were gathered. As I approached, I saw the back of a boy with sakura pink hair, a white scarf wrapped around his neck, blowing in the summer breeze. _Strange... Who wears a scarf in summer?_

"Ah, Lucy!" Wendy stood, and ran towards me, smiling. "This is my cousin, Natsu!"

The boy turned, and in the space of a second, my whole life changed. I felt my heart skip a beat, and my left eye felt strange. The boy's own right eye was leaking brown; the same chocolate brown my right eye was. And his left eye was the same beautiful olive green of my right. _No way..._ My breath caught, and I saw a trail of green leaving my eye and traveling towards him, while the brown from his came towards me.

When the color leaked into my iris, I felt like the world turned brighter, every color magnified by ten. The smells were sweeter, the lights brighter, and the breeze against my skin colder. The air felt more breathable, and I felt a spark of spontaneous happiness bubble up inside me. Wendy's eyes were wide, mirroring my friends' shocked expressions as Natsu pushed back his blue-haired cousin.

He came to a stop inches from me, and grasped my shoulders, bending his head down so we were nose-to-nose. "Found you," he said simply, grinning.

"Found you," I whispered, still slightly in shock. My soulmate... he was there. He was right in front of me. I could hug him, run my fingers through his hair, kiss him, _touch_ him. My dream of sixteen years had come true, and as a bright smile lit up my face, I didn't think the world could get any brighter.


	17. Story 17: Carpe Diem

**Type:** Regular FT World

 **Theme:** Theme prompt; Carpe diem.

 **Pairings:** GraTsu, StingUe, LoLu, JeRza, FrAxus, LyVia, BaCana, RoWen, and GaLe

* * *

Natsu woke in the morning feeling inexplicably _happy_. From the first second he opened his eyes, he knew today was the day. "Carpe diem," were the first words he said to himself, smiling up at his ceiling. He hopped out of his hammock and gobbled down a large breakfast, frantically whispering 'carpe diem' to himself in his head. _Today is the day, today is the day, carpe diem, carpe fucking diem_ , he thought as he ran to the guild, his scarf flying out behind him like a cape.

"GOOD MORNING!" Natsu yelled at the top of his lungs, bursting through the doors of the guild and scaring the hell out of Lucy and Levy, who jumped and screeched.

"What the hell, Salamander?!" Gajeel groaned, covering his ears. "It's SEVEN O'CLOCK IN THE FUCKING MORNING!"

"Carpe diem, carpe diem, carpe diem, carpe diem, carpe diem, carpe diem, carpe diem, carpe diem, carpe diem, carpe diem, carpe diem, carpe diem, carpe diem," Natsu kept whispering to himself, earning more than a few strange looks as he stalked towards the bar, where Gray, Cana, and a few other sat nursing drinks or eating breakfast.

"GRAY!" Natsu roared, tearing Gray out of his chair.

"WHAT?!" Gray roared back, shoving Natsu off him and going nose-to-nose with the Dragon Slayer. "You wanna go, flame br- Mmmph!" Gray was interuppted by Natsu violently kissing him. He pulled away after several long seconds, and raised a fist to shout, "CARPE FUCKIN' DIEM! WOOOOOO!"

Gray's face was as red as Erza's hair, and he was holding a finger to his lips in shock, Lucy and the majority of Fairy Tail were open-mouthed, gaping at Natsu, while Laxus and the rest of the Thunder Legion seemed uninterested, and Mira was grinning from ear to ear.

"W-what the hell, Natsu?!" Gray finally managed to stutter, shaking himself out of his shock to put on an annoyed expression, but, to the surprise of the guild, not entirely angry.

"Carpe di- Wait, did you just call me Natsu?"

"Uh, n-no..."

"You so did! CARPE DIEM, GRAY!"

"Oh, screw it!" Gray said grabbing Natsu by the scarf. "Carpe diem," he said, kissing Natsu, which caused half the girls to get nose-bleeds and all of the guys to die of shock.

"Get a room!" Cana commented as Natsu slammed Gray back against a pillar.

"CARPE DIEM!" Natsu broke away to scream at her. "EVERYBODY FUCKING SEIZE THE DAY!"

"I'm with you Natsu!" Loke screamed, appearing in a blast of golden light to sweep Lucy off her feet and kiss her passionately. "Aw, screw it. Carpe diem!" Gajeel grumbled, scooping Levy into his arms and kissing her. Macao shoved Romeo into Wendy, their lips meeting by accident, causing both teens to blush, while Freed made a grab for Laxus' shirt to kiss him, but ended up getting shocked. "Oh shit, Freed! I'm so sorry!"

"Lax-us..."

So came shouts of "CARPE DIEM!" from all across the guild as Mira's couples paired themselves up and kissed, causing the white-haired Take-Over Mage to faint with happiness.

"Uh, I feel like we missed something..." Jellal said, walking through the front door with Gildarts and Makarov.

"No kidding!" Makarov exclaimed, pulling on his hair. "My OTPs are KISSING! Gildarts, FIND ME A DAMN CAMERA!"

The moment Sting and Rogue walked into the guild, they heard shouts of "CARPE DIEM!" and they sweat-dropped as they saw all the couples making out. More passionate kisses were breaking out across the guild every second along with shouts of "CARPE DIEM!" and somehow Lyon had popped up to kiss Juvia, and Bacchus with Cana, and so on. Even Erza had pulled Jellal into the action.

"What. The. Literal. _Hell_?" Sting asked, mouth open in surprise. "Maybe we should just go ba- R-Rogue, what are you doing?"

"CARPE DIEM!" Rogue yelled, uncharacteristically happy as he pulled Sting in for a kiss.

"Oh _hell_ no," Lahar said, spinning on his heel along with Mest. "Fucking _run_."

And so the 'Carpe Diem Incident of X791' was recorded as the most hectic incident in Fairy Tail's history, and Lahar learned to never spontaneously drop by Fairy Tail ever again.


	18. Story 18: Hot Words, Stolen Kisses (1)

**Type:** Modern FT AU

 **Theme:** Prompt; "We fell in love like a car crash of hot words and stolen kisses." (There will be a part two.)

 **Pairings:** Stingue, Nalu

* * *

Sting hadn't planned on any of this. They were polar opposites; not meant to mix. And yet, he couldn't have stopped their story from unfolding even if he'd tried. The words were just too much to hold back.

* * *

 **Six weeks earlier...**

* * *

Sting tapped his hands against the steering wheel, humming along quietly to the song that played on the radio. He was on his way home from school - he was a senior at Sabertooth Academy - and the one thing he wanted to do was sink down in his comfy gaming chair and start up a good game of CoD. But first he had a paper to write, and a sheet of pre-calc problems... But he was so, _so_ tempted to forget about them.

But no. He couldn't do that. It was his last year of high school, and Sting had promised himself that he would leave Saber with a perfect 4.0 GPA. So he would have to finish his homework and not procrastinate like he had through his first two years of high school. Sting's parents were pressing him to attend a good school and become a lawyer like his father, and Sting was struggling with how to tell his parents that he really wanted to become an artist. He'd drawn versions of video game covers since he was ten, and had taken numerous art classes in high school, some even as extra college courses that the school paid for. But he hadn't found the perfect moment to tell them just yet...

Pulling into his driveway, Sting pulled his keys out of the ignition, abruptly cutting of the music that had been playing, and reached a long arm back to grab his bag from the backseat. He swung it over his shoulder and locked the car, flipping his keys around his ring finger as he walked up the long brick walk towards the front door. His father wouldn't be home until seven or so, and his mother was a nurse, so she probably wouldn't be back until ten or eleven.

Sting sighed and unlocked the door, kicking it shut behind himself and dropping his bag by the stairs. He kicked off his shoes in the family room and padded into the kitchen, swiping a bottle of water and an apple from the fridge before doubling back for the stairs. He eyes his bag warily, his hand full. Sting shrugged, taking it as a universal sign that his homework could wait, and Call of Duty could not.

Of course, that was flawed logic, but Sting would take any excuse he could lay his hands on. Besides, he wouldn't put it off long; only an hour or so. Yes. He'd play CoD for an hour, and then do his homework. Sting nodded to himself, kicking open and then closed his bedroom door. As Sting was turning on his PS4, his phone buzzed from the back pocket of his jeans, and Sting stuck the apple in his mouth as he pulled out his phone. He had a few texts from random people; Minerva, Natsu, and Rufus.

Sliding to the right on Natsu's name, Sting read the text, securing a hold on his apple and taking a large bite. _I'm thinking of asking Lucy out. Thoughts? Ideas? Anything?_ his cousin had texted. Sting snorted and took another bite of apple, texting with his thumb. _Ask her 2 the mvs. Saw her lkng at pstr 4 Everglow w/ Levy ystrday._

 _Yes! Thxs, bro_ , Natsu texted, making Sting grin and shake his head. Sting flopped down in his gaming chair and switched to Minerva's text. _Prty this wknd at Rogue Cheney's. U in?_

 _Rogue Cheney?_ Sting texted back, frowning. _Who's Rogue Cheney?_

Waiting for Minerva to respond, Sting flipped over to Rufus' text. _Just hrd Gray Fullbuster is sngl now. Shld I go 4 it?_ Sting chuckled. _U know u have 2. Tell me what hpns._

His phone dinged and Sting flipped over to Minerva's text. _Some1 I know. His dad rns that famous gang._

 _O_ , Sting texted back. _Well, I guess I'm in. Txt me the dtls._

 _You got it_ , she texted back immediately, and Sting frowned, wondering what she was planning. Shaking his head, Sting flipped back to Rufus, who had texted back. _Will do. Wsh me luck!_

 _Gd luck_ , Sting texted, smiling. Finally done with friend business, he pulled on his headset and picked up his controller, signing onto CoD. A few of his friends from school were on, along with this guy he had played with a few times, but didn't know IRL. Sting turned on his headset and said, "Hey, who wants to tag-team?"

The guy he had played with a few times, username 'Shadow', said, "I'm game Lux."

"Cool," Sting said, accepting Shadow's party invite. They played co-op for a while, and the hour Sting had allotted himself for gaming was quickly dried up. When it passed, Sting sighed and reluctantly quit the game. "Gotta go," he said to Shadow. "Sorry, man."

"It's cool. Talk to you later, L."

Sting signed off and turned off his TV, stretching and popping his neck before plodding over to the stairs and taking them two at a time. His dad still wasn't home, so Sting locked the front door and grabbed his bag from the foot of the stairs, racing back up them and locking himself in his room. His cousin Natsu, who was staying with them for a few weeks, would be home from Martial Arts practice - he was the captain - any minute, and he tended to barge into Sting's room if he didn't keep the door locked.

"Alright," Sting murmured to himself, pulling out his notebook and pre-calculus textbook. He flopped down on his stomach on the bed and flipped open to the right page in his book, opening his notebook and snatching a pencil from his side-table. "Okay, first problem..." Sting worked systematically through his homework, and by the time he was done, he was bleary-eyed, and it was nearly twelve. "I'll just... put this away," he murmured, letting his head rest against his open book. Before he knew it, he was asleep.

* * *

"Sting, it's time to get up!" an annoyingly cheery voice shouted from outside Sting's room, banging on his door repeatedly.

"Go away Natsu," Sting grumbled, yawning. His face was stuck to something, and when he managed to tear his face of it, he saw that it was in fact his pre-calculus textbook. "I won't go away!" Natsu called through the door. "Don't make me kick down the door! You know I can!"

Sting shuddered. He knew that very well. "I'm coming," he mumbled, slipping out of bed and changing from his shorts and t-shirt into a pair of loose jeans and a white hoodie. He stomped to the door and nearly whacked Natsu in the face with it as he opened it, walking past his cousin and down the stairs with his hands in his pockets and his hood concealing his spiky blonde hair.

"Good morning, dear," his mom said, watching him fall into a seat at the table, where his father was already seated, reading the newspaper while simultaneously buttering a piece of toast. "'Morning," Sting murmured, snatching a piece of toast and two sausage links. He spread grape jelly all over the toast in thick globs and folded it like a hot-dog, sticking the whole thing in his mouth all at once.

Natsu sat down next to Sting and dug into his bowl of oatmeal, which was covered in red-pepper flakes and hot-sauce. Sting wrinkled his nose. "What is _wrong_ with you?"

"Everything," Natsu replied, taking a large bite.

"Listen, boys," Sting's mom said, chewing on a piece of toast. "Your father and I are going over to Colorado this weekend to see my brother, so you boys will be home alone. I left you notes reminding you to lock the door, and I left some frozen pizzas in the freezer, and also some cash if you want to go out to eat. I'll call you at exactly nine P.M. to check up on you every day. You got that, Sting Lucian Eucliffe?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. We'll be gone when you get home, so order yourself some Chinese or something for dinner, okay?"

"'Kay, Mom."

"Alright. I've got to go to work." She kissed Sting on the head and ruffled Natsu's hair, grabbing her purse and keys and sweeping out the door. Sting's dad soon followed, leaving Natsu and Sting alone in the kitchen.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Natsu asked with a grin, finishing off his oatmeal.

"Whatever it is, I'm absolutely positive that I'm not thinking it," Sting assured him, rolling his eyes.

"Party this weekend! C'mon, the house'll be empty for two whole days!"

"Oh," Sting said, taking a bite of toast, "that reminds me. There's this party at Rogue Cheney's."

"When?"

"Dunno. Let me text Minerva."

Sting pulled out his phone and sent a quick text. _What r the dtls for the prty at Rogue's? Natsu's interested._

A moment later she responded with, _221 Briar Lane, 2nite at 8._

 _K. Can u pick us up?_

 _Sure thng. I'll b there at 7ish._

 _Cool. C u then._

Sting showed the texts to Natsu, who held up a fist. "Yes! This'll be off the hook! Bro, ask her if I can bring Luce."

 _+1s alwed?_ Sting texted, rolling his eyes at his cousin.

 _Obvi._

"She says yes. And that reminds me, how'd it go with Lucy yesterday, anyway?"

Natsu beamed, dropping his dishes in the sink. "Fantastic. You're looking at the official boyfriend of Lucy Heartfilia."

"Dude, that's great! Congrats!" Sting said, clapping Natsu on the back. Natsu grinned. "C'mon. We'll both be late at this rate."

"Good point." They walked out, and Sting locked up the house, swinging his keys around his finger as he headed for his car, which was a white convertible. Natsu caulted himself into the passenger seat and Sting slid across the hood of the car and did the same, landing perfectly in the driver's seat. "You owe me for dropping you off," Sting told Natsu as he pulled out of the driveway. "When's your car out of the shop, anyway?"

"Few days, they said."

"You need to find a better mechanic."

"Shut up."

Sting dropped Natsu off and took the nearest left to head for his own school, Sabertooth Academy. The parking lot was full, and Sting barely managed to swipe a spot. He sprinted to class, and plopped into his seat just as the last bell rang. He fist-bumped Orga, got an eye-roll from Minerva, and thumbs-ups from Rufus and Yukino. Class was boring, and Sting struggled through the day, just wanting to get it over with so he could go home.

Finally, the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, and Sting walked towards the parking lot with Minerva, Rufus, Yukino, and Orga. "How'd it go with Gray?" Sting asked Rufus, who visibly wilted. "Well, I sent him a text asking if he would be at Rogue's party so we could talk, and he hasn't answered yet."

"Well, maybe he's been busy today," Yukino said. "You never know."

"Yeah," Minerva piped up, patting his shoulder. "Don't worry, Rufus."

"Thanks, guys."

The five friends parted ways, and Sting did his best to take a traffic-free route to pick up Natsu. When he got to Fairy Tail Academy, he saw Natsu in a group with Lucy, Gray, and two of their other friends, Erza and Levy. Natsu kissed Lucy goodbye, waved to the other three before hopping in next to Sting. As they drove towards home, Sting asked, "Has Gray checked his texts today?"

"How would I know. Why do you want to know?"

"Rufus sent him a text, and he hasn't responded."

"Oh. Well, I saw him on his phone, although I don't know what he was doing. What did Rufus want to know?"

"If Gray was going to Rogue's party tonight."

"I think he is. We were talking about it at lunch, and Levy said she got invited by Rogue's cousin, Gajeel."

"Hm. Well, I guess we'll see."

When they got to the house, Sting surveyed his closet, faced with the serious task of choosing an outfit. He glared at his wardrobe, angered by the fact that he didn't seem to own anything other than hoodies and jeans. "Yo," Natsu said, walking in wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and jeans. "What's taking so long?"

"I don't know what to wear."

"Dude, it's a high school party. Dress casual."

"I only own hoodies, Natsu. I don't even think I own a single regular shirt."

"You have to have at least _one_ ," Natsu said, kneeling to dig through his wardrobe. "Ah- See! Here's one." He tossed a white Coldplay t-shirt at Sting. "Now get dressed so we can go!"

Sting stared at the t-shirt, raising an eyebrow. He didn't remember getting it, but hell; it was better than a hoodie He pulled his shirt over his head and put the white one on. It fit him nicely, hugging his muscled chest nicely. Sting shrugged and pulled on a black pair of jeans. He nodded once at himself in the mirror before heading out to meet Natsu by the door.

"Minerva's in the parking lot. Let's go."

The two hurried out, Sting making sure to lock the door and stick his keys in his pocket, and they hopped into the waiting backseat of Minerva's blue Ford, which was already filled up with Rufus, Yukino, and Orga. They sped towards Rogue's house, Minerva's GPS spouting off instructions every minute or so. Finally, they pulled into the parking lot of the massive house, and Sting stuck his head out the window as they parked, whistling appreciatively. "Damn, this guy must be loaded."

"No kidding," Natsu murmured, glancing at the huge three-story mansion.

"C'mon," Minerva said, turning off the car. "Let's go in before it gets too packed."

The six of them walked towards the mansion's gaping front doors, which were propped open to let a stream of people move back and forth like a living river. Sting and his group pushed their way through the crowd, surveying the scene. People were everywhere, talking, laughing, dancing, and drinking. Minerva and Yukino floated off to flirt with some guys from FTA, while Natsu scooted off to meet Lucy, and Orga and Sting helped Rufus look for Gray.

"There he is! Do I look good? Is my hair okay?"

"You look great," Sting said, pushing Rufus Gray's way with a smirk. "Go getcha some."

While Rufus talked to Gray, Sting and Orga started rotating around the party, looking for a position. Orga bailed on Sting once he saw a cute girl wink at him, and Sting sighed and continued looking for a spot. He found a relatively empty one against the wall, and leaned back against it with a sigh. "God dammit, Gajeel. This happens every time!" he heard a not unpleasantly cool voice bark. "Where the hell is Levy?!"

"She's not here yet," someone slurred, and the cool voice cursed.

"Dammit! You're heavy!"

Sting caught sight of the owner of the cool voice struggling through the crowd lugging a large muscular guy with long black hair. The other one was about Sting's height, with spiky black hair and crimson eyes, much like the man he was struggling to hold up. Sting, sensing that the boy was about to topple over, swooped in and supported the man from the other side.

"Oh! Thanks!" the boy said, straightening.

"No problem. Where are we taking him?"

"Bathroom, so hopefully he can puke up all the _alcohol he consumed_." He said the last words with a pointed glare at his friend, who chuckled. "Shuddup Rogue. I can hold my... booze." He started looking green on the last word, and Sting brushed away his surprise at hearing the boy was the one hosting the party to help him drag his friend towards the bathroom door.

"Ugh, Gajeel! You need to go to the gym or something!"

"Shuddup. That's pure muscle, Rios."

Rogue's eyebrow twitched as he kicked open the door and helped Gajeel kneel over the toilet. "You so owe me for this."

"Yeah, ye- BLURGH!"

Rogue and Sting wrinkled their noses together, and Sting turned away. "Um, if you're good, I'm going to go back downstairs."

"Sure," Rogue said, attempting to hold Gajeel upright while he puked, sweat breaking out on his forehead. "Thank you, uh..."

"Sting."

"Thank you, Sting," Rogue said with a feeble smile, which made Sting's heart race a little.

"Sure. No problem." Sting turned away quickly, inexplicably blushing as he made his way down the stairs. Why was he so... fidgety? And why was his heart beating so fast? What was this feeling he was getting? Whatever it was, it wasn't... bad. In fact, it was kind of _good_...


	19. Story 19: A Random Encounter (1)

**Type:** Modern RL AU

 **Theme:** A random encounter with a stranger. (P. 1)

 **Pairings:** Chitsu, Lolu

* * *

"Chiaro, Chiaro, Chiaro, Chiiiaaarrrrrooo!" a cheerful female voice sing-songed right next to Chiaro's head. He groaned and peeled open one eyelid to see a beaming Lucy. "Yes?" he asked, blinking the sleep out of his hazelnut brown eyes.

"Get up! We need to go shopping!"

Chiaro sighed and pushed back his covers, running a hand through his messy blonde hair and looking over at his best friend suspiciously. "How did you get in my house?"

"Your mom still keeps the key in that ugly bunch of daffodils out front."

Chiaro grinned. "Yeah, she does. But why did you all of a sudden decide that we need to go shopping at"—he glanced at the clock on his side-table—"six thirty on a Sunday?"

"Because I have a date with Loke tomorrow and I need a new dress. And shoes. And makeup." She looked deflated. "Help me."

Chiaro sighed and stood, ruffling her soft blonde hair. "Anything for my best girl friend."

"I'm your _only_ friend, period," she pointed out, earning a flick on the forehead.

"Get out of my room," Chiaro said with a grin. "Don't make the sunshine angry."

Lucy grinned back and skipped out of his room, humming to herself. Chiaro, meanwhile, gathered up his clothes—a pair of jeans and a yellow T-shirt—and discarded the old shorts and tank-top he'd slept in. It was nearing seven as he padded down the stairs to where Lucy was waiting by the front door. He gave her a bright smile, and she chuckled, slinging an arm around his shoulder. "There's my sunshine!"

Chiaro laughed as they made their way out the door and down the street, towards downtown. It was a nice spring day, and there was a cool, pleasant breeze blowing through the town. Lucy leaped on Chiaro's back and he gave her a piggy-back ride all the way to the shop that was their destination; Grandine's Boutique.

Chiaro held open the door for Lucy and there was the pleasant tinkling of a bell as they entered. Grandine's little shop-keeper, Wendy, greeted them at the door with a kind smile. Lucy and Chiaro went shopping there often, and Wendy had become like a little sister to them. Chiaro ruffled her hair and Lucy gave her a hug. "Hey, Wen, got any new dresses this week?"

"Sure. Just follow me. Oh, and Chiaro? There're some new earrings and rings in that tray over there."

Chiaro grinned and thanked her as the girls walked off, turning to the aforementioned tray. He had an earring in his left ear, but needed a new one. He was also an avid collector of rings, and often wore a myriad of them on his fingers. He was fingering a bright golden sun earring appreciatively when the bell sounded again. Chiaro didn't bother glancing over; Grandine's shop was usually busy, and Sunday was no exception.

He was reaching for a flame-shaped earring when a finger brushed against his. Chiaro felt a spark of warmth as he looked up and his eyes locked on to a pair of olive globes. The first thing he noticed was that the boy had pink hair. Well, the second thing. The first thing was his eyes, of course. They were a beautiful green, and were bright with fire.

"Hi," the boy said, jolting Chiaro out of his trance. He jerked his hand away and smiled, albeit slightly nervously. He gave a shy "Hi," in return. They looked at each other for several seconds, and Chiaro found himself checking the guy out. He was tall—a few inches taller than Chiaro—and had tousled pink hair. That's right. Pink. But that wasn't the only strange thing about him. His olive eyes seemed to flash from dark—almost black—to light, and he wore a white scaly-looking scarf around his neck.

"I'm Natsu," the boy said, holding out a hand. Chiaro snapped his eyes up, blushing slightly as he accepted the handshake. "Chi—"

"Chiaro, get in here!" Lucy chose that moment to call from the back part of the store. "I found the _perfect_ dress! You _have_ to see it!"

Natsu chuckled seeing Chiaro's eye-roll. "Your girlfriend?" he asked, his olive eyes calculating. Chiaro burst into laughter and shook his head. "No, no, _no_. That's my best friend."

Natsu cracked a smile. "Oh. Does that mean—"

"CHIARO!"

Chiaro sighed loudly and started to make his way towards the back room. "Sorry. She's very impatient. I'll be back."

"Right. Of course."

Jogging the rest of the way, Chiaro glared at Lucy. "I was talking to a _very_ attractive someone with pink hair, Lucy! You're killing my game!"

She giggled before pulling apart the curtain. "What do you think?"

Chiaro did a once-over before nodding. "You're right. It _is_ the perfect dress."

"Yes!" Lucy pumped her fist happily before ducking back behind the curtain. "I'm going to try a few more just to be sure. Go chat up your pink someone."

"I will, thank you very much." Chiaro spun on his heel and made his way back towards the jewelry rack. Natsu was gone. Chiaro looked around, confused, before he saw a note with a ring resting on top of it. It was the flame ring he'd picked up earlier. He brushed it aside and picked up the note. There was a number scrawled across the top, with a small note underneath.

 _Sorry. I had to leave to pick up my cousin. It was a great chat, sunshine. Call me sometime._

 _\- Natsu_

A hand clasped Chiaro's shoulder. "Whatcha got there?"

Chiaro handed Lucy the paper, and she laughed halfway through. "Ha. Even _strangers_ are calling you sunshine now."

"Shut up," Chiaro muttered, but a faint smile crossed his face as he fingered the flame ring Natsu had left behind.


	20. Story 20: Want and Need

**Type:** SoFT 'verse

 **Theme:** Chiaro is teaching Natsu Italian. Today's lesson; _want_ and _need_.

 **Pairing:** Chitsu.

* * *

"Okay Natsu, repeat after me; Ho bisogno..."

"O... bees oh no..." Natsu said, scrunching up his face as he tried to pronounce the words.

Chiaro sighed. "No, Natsu, that's not it... Try again."

They were in Fairy Tail's male dorm, seeing as how Natsu had begged Chiaro to teach him Italian, for some odd reason. So, there they were in Chiaro's room, sitting out on his hardwood floor, pronunciation and grammar books spread out in haphazard piles around them.

"Ho... beezonyo. Beesinyo? Be— Biz..." Natsu tried again, furrowing his brows in deep concentration. Growling, he leaned back on his hands and glared at the wall. "This is stupid. What's the point of this, anyway? When will I use this in real life?"

Chiaro sighed. "Natsu... I _told_ you already; _I_ _want_ and _I need_ are important phrases, whether you think so or not. Now," he said patiently, "bisogno. You had the first part _perfect_. Now try the last one again. _Bisogno_."

"B-bis-bisonyo."

" _Really_ close," Chiaro persuaded, moving closer and placing a hand on Natsu's knee. "C'mon. You can do it."

"Oh... beezninyo," Natsu murmured, completely butchering the pronunciation. Chiaro sighed heavily and crossed his arms. "Natsu, you were so _close_!"

"Ho bisogno," Natsu murmured, the words sounding perfect on his tongue. Chiaro stopped, holding up his hands with a grin blossoming on his face, almost thinking he'd been imagining things. "Yes! See, you did it!"

Natsu let out a relieved sigh and slumped forward with a wide smile. " _Finally_!"

"Ah, wait," Chiaro said, holding up a hand. "We still have one more to go."

The smile fell from Natsu's face as he let out a groan. "Aw, _man_! C'mon, Chia, can't we take a break now?"

"No," Chiaro said adamantly. "C'mon, this is the last phrase for this lesson, and then we're done for the day. Wouldn't you rather get it over with now, so it's out of the way?"

Natsu paused, pouting as he thought it over. "I guess..."

"Good. Now, next is Voglio, which means 'I want.' Say this: Voglio..."

"Vaul... yee.. Vaulyouoh..." Natsu tried, back at square one with the pronunciation. His brows furrowed as he tried again. "Valeeoh. Vaulteo. Vault— _Urgh_! Chia, do we have to do this _today_?"

"No. Try again," Chiaro insisted. "C'mon, you just need to work through your anger."

"Vauglee... Volley... Vauteley... OH MY GODDDD!" Natsu ripped a hand through his hair with bared teeth. "Vauleeo... Vogleeyo... Voglio..." Chiaro held up a hand, stopping him. "Wait! Say the last one again."

"Vo... Voglio," Natsu muttered, jumping as soon as he finished speaking. "Voglio! YESSSSS!"

"See, I knew you could do it!" Chiaro said with a laugh. "If you want, why don't you try to use it in a sentence with some of the other words I taught you." Natsu looked over at him, suddenly developing a mischievous cat-like smirk that made Chiaro slightly nervous. "Okay. Ho bisogno... Chiaro."

"E-eh?!" Chia spluttered, his hand falling out from under him as he tipped backwards slightly. Natsu chuckled and crawled closer to him, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Ho bisogno... No, i _voglio_ Chiaro."

"N-n-not funny N-Natsu," Chiaro mumbled, blushing a bright red as he looked away in embarrassment."

Natsu straddled him and whispered in his ear, "Chi ha detto che stavo scherzando?"

Chiaro's face grew even redder as the words hit him. "When did you learn to speak that much Italian?" he complained, hiding his blush in Natsu's shoulder. He both hated and loved how the older boy could surprise him like this. He loved it because it showed that Natsu could be spontaneous, but he hated it because, well... he often ended up flustered, like this.

The Dragon Slayer grinned, showing off his pointed incisors. "I just have a great teacher."

* * *

 **A/N:** Awww the fluffiness that is Chitsu. I just _love_ everything about them X3 (And for those of you who OTP ship them like me ((XD)), go check out my story "The Sunshine Of Fairy Tail"!)

 **Translations;**

 **-** Ho bisogno... = I need...

 **-** Voglio... = I want...

 **-** Ho bisogno... Chiaro. = I need... Chiaro.

 **-** Ho bisogno... No, i _voglio_ Chiaro. = I need... No, I _want_ Chiaro.

 **-** Chi ha detto che stavo scherzando? = Who said I was joking?


End file.
